PLI Bulletin

Gun Bans, Test Scores, Political Messaging and More

Posted on October 18, 2022

Background Checks for All Firearms Act: Americans are justifiably scared of gun violence in their communities. The Background Checks for All Firearms Act requires that firearms cannot be sold or transferred without a prior criminal background check.

Three basics of political messaging: Are your political messages persuasive and getting through? We offer three key questions and answers about messaging in the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

How to Get Out the Vote: This podcast from The Campaign Workshop explains how to run an effective GOTV program and how to avoid the five biggest GOTV mistakes.

Court fights begin over gun bans in places like subways, bars and theaters: The U.S. Supreme Court’s most recent gun ruling has encouraged right-wing groups and judges to attack every type of gun restriction. Route Fifty explains how the battle is going.

ACT test scores drop to their lowest in 30 years: In fact, ACT scores have declined annually for the past five years (since 2017-18), long before COVID. This AP story just scratches the surface. Could the “stark declines” on both ACT and the NAEP be the product of all the test-and-punish policies?

Don’t start with facts, engage emotions: The conservative narrative almost exclusively feeds grievance and outrage. Read some of PLI’s past messaging advice on how to respond.