The booklet explicitly urges foes of the Second Amendment to abjure rationality in favor of the argumentum ad passiones, or appeal to emotion. “When talking to broader audiences, we want to meet them where they are,” the authors advise. “That means emphasizing emotion over policy prescriptions, keeping our facts and our case simple and direct, and avoiding arguments that leave people thinking they don’t know enough about the topic to weigh in.”

The do’s and don’ts are consistent with this advice. “Examples of power language” include: “It breaks my heart that every day in our country (state or city) children wake up worried and frightened about getting shot.” “Just imagine the pain that a mother or father feels when their young child is gunned down.” “The real outrage–the thing that makes this violence so unforgivable–is that we know how to stop it and we’re not getting it done.”

And here are examples of “some ineffective language to avoid”: “There’s a clear body of research demonstrating the high social cost of gun violence.” “The policy outcomes we’re after are the ones that can have the most beneficial impact on the rates of violence among the most affected populations.” “Of course, gun violence affects people’s lives. But, it also has a devastating economic impact to the tune of over $100 billion a year. That’s a number that should get every American taxpayer’s attention.”