Posted on 03/03/2005 10:15:32 AM PST by Dan from Michigan
Stevens attracts national attention
Anti-gun-violence advocate noticed by NRA, Drudge
By JASON PISCIA
STAFF WRITER
A State Journal-Register story about an anti-gun-violence advocate's run-in with Springfield police for allegedly having an illegal firearm in her home has sparked interest among Internet news junkies, especially those in the pro-gun-rights community.
A link to Tuesday's SJ-R.com version of the report on Annette Stevens' arrest and her rebuttal that she is innocent and is being railroaded by police appeared on several high-profile Web sites, including those of the Drudge Report and pro-gun groups such as the National Rifle Association.
As a result, the SJ-R.com page containing the story was viewed 166,623 times Tuesday, according to Bart Bolton, the newspaper's assistant information services manager.
At certain times throughout the day, more than 4,000 people were reading the story at one time. Typically, that number tops out around 500 for any single story, Bolton said.
The second-most-viewed story on the newspaper's site Tuesday was about the murders of a federal judge's husband and mother. It received about 9,700 views all day.
The heavy Internet traffic, which continued into Wednesday, caused slow loading of the SJ-R.com site for part of the day Tuesday.
More than 93,000 of the 166,000 views came via a link on the Drudge Report, a conservative news headline site that receives about 9 million hits a day, according to the site.
Links from pro-gun sites such as the NRA, Illinois NRA, packing.org and glocktalk.com accounted for hundreds of additional views.
Stevens, 47, became involved in the anti-gun-violence movement following the 2002 shooting death of her son, Jericko Clark, 20. She helped form and is president of the Springfield chapter of the Million Mom March, which lobbies against gun violence.
Police obtained a search warrant for Stevens' home and went there Friday. They allegedly found drugs and a gun that had its identification number scratched off, which is illegal.
Dave Workman, senior editor of Gun Week, a Bellevue, Wash., publication, said the story has caught the interest of gun-rights advocates due to the alleged "hypocrisy" of a person who fights gun violence but has an illegal gun in her home.
"If there was anyone on this planet who would not want to have a gun in her home, she would want to be that person," Workman said.
Stevens said Monday she was going to speak further Wednesday with The State Journal-Register about her case. But contacted Wednesday, she said her lawyer has advised against her saying anything else to the media until the matter is resolved.
On Monday, however, Stevens said the police are unfairly targeting her. She said authorities wrongly believe she is among the ringleaders of a series of recent no-injury, drive-by shootings in Springfield.
They also think she has information about an unsolved murder, she said.
Stevens admitted she knows some of the participants in the shootings, but only because her interest in stopping gun violence has her in the neighborhoods talking to youths.
Stevens said she thinks the search warrant was obtained illegally. She also says there were no drugs in her home and that the gun that was found belonged to Clark. She found it after he died. Not knowing what to do with it, she wrapped it up, put it away and forgot about it, she said.
Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt said Wednesday his office is awaiting a lab result before deciding whether to file formal charges against Stevens.
Hypocrite bump!
Bad shots... or someone with an agenda trying to stir the pot... Plausible.
Stevens admitted she knows some of the participants in the shootings, but only because her interest in stopping gun violence has her in the neighborhoods talking to youths.
An anti-gun activist says she knows some of the participants in drive-by shootings and she hasn't reported them to police?! There is an obvious inconsistency to her story.
Boy, this story really smells bad, doesn't it?
An unusual woman, that's for sure.
When do think they will stage The Million Hypocrite March"?
This seems like something out of the Onion. Very strange.
"Stevens said she thinks the search warrant was obtained illegally."
Just like her gun, I suppose. The effin' hypocrite.
Oh my.
Run ballistics, see if it matches any recent murders, and charge her with the crime. She can explain later.
She is a hypocrite. But what evidence did the cops have to obtain a search warrant?
"Not knowing what to do with it, she wrapped it up, put it away and forgot about it, she said."
Implausible. She has probably been at a hundred "gun buy-backs".
"A State Journal-Register story about an anti-gun-violence advocate's run-in with Springfield police"
Anyone notice this bit of media bias, "anti-gun violence advocate?" Who the hell is in favor of gun violence? So if you're for gun rights you're for gun violence rather than self-defense? She's anti-gun rights! Why not call it what it is?? NO ONE IS FOR VIOLENCE. But we are for rights, or in the case of this hypocrite, against them. You gotta love this bit of Orwellian double-speak.
That's my first guess - any bets on forensics showing it was fired recently?
Adjusting tin foil hat... Is it possible that in her "ends justifies the means" delusions that she is doing drive-by shootings in an attempt to create popular support for more gun bans?
/Tin foil hat
She could mean that they were the ones being shot at. Technically that would make them participants of the shootings. If she knows who the shooter(s) is/are, then they need to tack on charges for witholding information.
At 5 years each, that would be good for 1 billion years in jail.
As it stands now, she's probably looking at only a few years in jail. Not exactly complete justice, but probably more justice than most of the gun-grabbers will ever see.
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