The election of Barack Obama as US President should improve the political environment for progress on gun violence prevention and reducing US arms exports, according to IANSA members in the USA.

Frida Berrigan of the Arms and Security Initiative pointed to several signs that the change of government could mean arms exports come under greater scrutiny. For example, Senator Obama voted for a de facto one year ban on US exports of cluster bombs, and during the election campaign he expressed openness to signing the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Joseph Biden, who will be the Vice-President, has frequently criticised US arms exports. He referred to a transfer of F-16 fighter planes to Pakistan as “dangerously misguided” and “reckless” in January 2008.

US arms exports have rocketed under the Bush administration, with US weapons sales to foreign countries in 2008 on track to be 45% higher than in 2007. Weapons worth $34 billion are currently on offer to Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other countries.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said the election of Obama-Biden "was a decisive victory for common sense gun laws", since Senator Obama has consistently supported sensible gun laws in both the US and Illinois State Senates. Senator Biden has also been a leader for strong gun laws throughout his political career.  

The election results also constitute a defeat for the leadership of the National Rifle Association, which said it spent more than $10 million to tell voters that Barack Obama would be “the most anti-gun President in American history”.