The Brady Campaign has issued an in-depth report called "Guns & The 2008 Elections: Common Sense Gun Laws Won, The NRA Lost, & What it Means."

The analysis highlights what happened in states with high gun ownership and states where the National Rifle Association spent millions on ads to attack the Obama-Biden ticket.

The report shows that support for gun laws can be a winning message for politicians and not a dangerous political "wedge" issue. It makes the case that voters want pragmatic solutions to protect their families and communities from gun violence and know that sensible gun laws won't hurt legitimate gun owners.

According to a National Post-Election Omnibus Survey, support for sensible gun laws is strong, not only among those who voted for Obama, but also among McCain voters.

The poll, conducted by Penn, Schoen & Berland, found that 3 in 4 (76%) voters favor reasonable gun regulations in general, with 4 in 5 (83%) who favor Brady criminal background checks for all gun sales, including 84% of McCain voters and gun owners. The results also highlight that the NRA had little sway over voters.

The findings indicate that sensible gun legislation is a unique opportunity for the Obama Administration to build bridges to moderate voters in both parties.

The election of Barack Obama as President and Joe Biden as Vice President was a decisive victory for common sense gun laws.

The Brady Campaign issued a strong endorsement of the ticket in October because of the candidates' strong support of reasonable gun laws. Sarah Brady, Chair of the Brady Campaign, hailed the election as "a good day for people who want to reduce gun violence in America."

The election is a critical loss for the National Rifle Association. The gun lobby spent millions to defeat the Obama-Biden ticket and failed. The NRA's scare tactics about gun confiscation no longer works given the decision in the Supreme Court's decision in DC v Heller.

Sarah Brady went on to say that the election was "...a bad day for extremists who are stuck in the rhetoric of the past." There is no indication that any candidate, at any level, lost their election because of their support of reasonable gun measures.

Rahm Emanuel, the incoming Chief of Staff for the Obama Administration, has been a strong proponent of reasonable gun regulations for years. He worked closely with Jim and Sarah Brady to pass the Brady bill in the Clinton Administration.

He has consistently supported strengthening Brady criminal background checks, banning military-style assault weapons, strengthening law enforcement and closing the "Terror Gap."

The Brady Center honored Mr. Emanuel with the Sarah Brady Visionary Award in 2007 in Washington, DC.

As usual, deceptive NRA political ads aired attacking candidates who have supported efforts to reduce gun violence... In this October 2008 broadcast, Fox asks Paul Helmke what he thinks of the ads. The Brady Voter Education Fund worked to prevent the NRA from scaring and fooling voters away from good candidates.

About the Brady Voter Education Fund
The Brady Voter Education Fund is the Political Action Committee (PAC) of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. It works to educate voters about the positions of national, state, and local candidates on the gun issue and, thus, impact the electoral process.

The Brady Voter Education Fund is non-partisan. Candidates are considered based on voting record, public statements, and responses to candidate questionnaires.

Contributions to the Brady Campaign or the Brady Voter Education Fund are not tax-deductible.