There are plenty of stories of fire falling from heaven on perceived enemies of God. Whether the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the one that seems to be reflected in 2 Kings 1 where Elijah twice confronts messengers of Ahaziah with fire from heaven that consumes them. It is no wonder then, that James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven; it was part of their tradition.  As much as there may have been precedent, it seems Jesus is not interested in their ideas of violence; instead, he rebukes them in the same way he rebuked the sea.  Although the Samaritans rejected Jesus, he did not seem interested in punishing them.