The gun-grabbers thought they had their moment.

Shamefully making a political advantage out of the deaths of 20 children at the hands of a lunatic in Connecticut last December, liberal politicians went all out in 2013 to attack the Second Amendment at the dawn of the Obama administration’s second term.

They failed.

From the Capitol Dome to statehouses and local voting booths, gun rights defenders fired back. Here are the top five biggest stories of 2013 for gun rights.

5) 3D Printed Gun: Dubbed the “Liberator,” the design for the first gun manufactured by 3-D printer was posted on the Internet In May. The U.S. State Department had the designs pulled two days later, but not until the designs had been downloaded 100,000 times. Gun grabbers went crazy at the idea, but the concept of putting self-protection in the hands of the general populace had hit a major milestone. The “Liberator” was named after a pilot program during World War II that was intended to put weapons into the hands of Occupied Europe’s disarmed population to enable individuals to fight oppressive governments. The program never really took off during the war, but the concept is enduring. The technology exists now, and it isn’t going away.

4) Concealed carry in Illinois: The state that’s the adopted home of President Obama, and the home of the murderous street gangs of Chicago, took a step toward self-defense when it became the last state in the union to allow concealed weapons. Illinois didn’t have a choice, thanks to a federal judge who understands the Constitution  – and a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Democrats who control Chicago politics are still crying about it, but the step means the “Land of Lincoln” is again on the side of liberty.

3) Florida lawmakers stand their ground: After George Zimmerman was acquitted of a ludicrous second-degree murder charge, Florida’s Capitol rotunda became a rallying point for gun grabbers, with a 30-day sit-in by leftists demanding the state Legislature repeal the “stand your ground” law. As a sop to the protesters, Florida lawmakers agreed to conduct hearings on the self-defense law, but made it clear that “stand your ground” is here to stay. At a hearing in November, a Florida House committee voted resoundingly against repealing it.

2) Colorado recalls gun grabbers: Infuriated by Democrat lawmakers who enacted strict gun control laws in the spring, Colorado Second Amendment protectors launched recall efforts against two state senators – one of them the Senate president – to remove them from office. Despite heavy financial support from outside groups like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the Second Amendment supporters were victorious. That sent a message to elected officials – especially U.S. senators from conservative states. The Colorado legislature learned what “don’t tread on me” really means. Lawmakers from around the country are taking that lesson to heart.

1) Gun grabbers fail in Senate fight: A national bill that would have included background checks for all gun purchases – including those between two private individuals – went down in defeat in the United States Senate thanks to a filibuster supported by all Senate Republicans and Democrats with enough sense to know where America really stood on the issue. Defying their president and party might not save Democrats like Mark Pryor of Arkansas, who still has to defend his record of support for the crime of Obamacare, but the Senate action showed that gun rights depend on the success of American democracy. And the success of American democracy depends on gun rights.

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Joe Saunders

Joe Saunders, a 25-year newspaper veteran, is a staff writer and editor for BizPac Review who lives in Tallahassee and covers capital and Florida politics. Email Joe at [email protected].

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