Stephen Morgan has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Johanna Justin-Jinich at a Middletown bookstore on Wednesday and is being held on a $10 million bond, Middletown Chief Lynn Baldoni said.
Their acquaintance goes back to before July 2007. At that time, the victim filed a harassment complaint against Morgan while the two were taking the same six-week summer course at New York University, school spokesman John Beckman told CNN.
The complaint, in which Justin-Jinich said she was receiving harassing e-mails and phone calls from Morgan, was filed with the university's public safety department toward the end of the course, Beckman said.The public safety department brought in the New York Police Department and, after conversations with Morgan and Justin-Jinich, the woman declined to follow up or press charges, Beckman said.
Although this is technically not a school shooting, the book shop's proximity to the college campus does highlight certain questions about allowing guns on campus. On The Gun Guys site there's a comment from The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus.
Sadly, this incident reminds us that we are all at risk of gun violence, even in what should be safe environments such as a university book store. All too often, this is the result when guns are introduced into a confrontational situation.
At first glance I have to admit that statement is not very convincing. But combined with what follows, I had to stop and wonder if they might have a point. From The Gun Guys:
In the universe of gun violence, college campuses are among the safest environments for students – much safer than the communities that surround them. This is due in no small part to the fact that nearly all colleges and universities have adopted policies that severely restrict or prohibit firearms.
What do you think about that? Are they saying the difference between gun violence on campus and off campus in the surrounding community is significant? Are they saying it's partly because of gun laws prohibiting guns on campus? This sounds like the very thing my gun enthusiast friends are always calling for - proof.
What's your opinion?
Although this is technically not a school shooting, the book shop's proximity to the college campus does highlight certain questions about allowing guns on campus.You're kidding right? Wesleyan University is a GUN FREE ZONE.
ReplyDeleteObviously Stephen Morgan was unaffected by the magical "gun free zone" force field that is supposed to prevent these kinds of things.
This poses no questions whatsoever about allowing CCW on campus.
Stephen Morgan would have done this regardless of whether CCW was allowed on campus or not.
(especially since it's not easy to get a permit in Connecticut.)
In the universe of gun violence, college campuses are among the safest environments for students – much safer than the communities that surround them. This is due in no small part to the fact that nearly all colleges and universities have adopted policies that severely restrict or prohibit firearms.Bullshit Mike. Do you have anything, anything at all to back up this statement? What makes the campus perimeter suddenly so much safer than the surrounding area?
I mean seriously Mike, if you're going to make inane, outlandish statements at least try to base them in reality and have something to back them up.
Mike W., The green parts that are indented are quotes.
ReplyDeleteAll too often, this is the result when guns are introduced into a confrontational situation.It seems that they would rather there only be ONE lethal weapon in a stalker situation.
ReplyDeleteThe differences in violence rates on campus are attributed to several factors.
In the case where the campus has its own police, under-reporting is very common. The administration doesn't want a reputation as a violent place. I've seen many reports of incidents on campuses that never make it to official statistics. This is especially true when a scholarship athlete is the perp.
The other and much bigger cause is people. Many college campuses were established in cities, and the neighborhoods they are in have deteriorated. People likely to attend college are less likely to be violent than those in poor inner city neighborhoods. Even if security is good enough to reduce the number of local criminals wandering the campus, the area immediately outside the campus is prime hunting grounds--College students aren't likely to be mistaken for locals, and are easy prey--ESPECIALLY since the campus rules would make it nearly impossible for them to carry.
"Mike W., The green parts that are indented are quotes."
ReplyDeleteAs you can see my brain was not working this morning. My apologies Mike.
I'm not surprised at the GunGuys commentary. They are pure fearmongerers and never cite facts.
In fact, gunguys gets paid to publish their anti-gun hysteria. You come off downright moderate compared to them.
the area immediately outside the campus is prime hunting grounds--College students aren't likely to be mistaken for locals, and are easy prey--ESPECIALLY since the campus rules would make it nearly impossible for them to carry.Yup, in Newark we called them "townies" Most of the violent crime on campus and in the surrounding areas was done by townies and criminals who came in from Wilmington because the University was a prime "target rich environment."
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering about that comparison myself. For example I remember a campus of, maybe it was Rutgers, or some other NJ college, right in downtown Newark. I suppose the difference between what's literally on campus and two blocks away might have been tremendous. Then you have your more traditional settings for say a New England College, rolling hills and all that. I guess there you'd have a totally different story.
ReplyDeleteYet, maybe there's something to the claim that in spite of the headline-grabbing tragedies, college campuses are safer than the surrounding communities. And if there's the no gun rule in effect, you gotta wonder.