Helping Brady United Challenge Trump’s “Tough on Crime” Rhetoric with Message Testing
How Grow Progress made it easy to test new ideas and challenge assumptions
Persuading voters and lawmakers on gun violence prevention is challenging, but not out of reach. Brady United is one of the organizations leading that charge, driving change through policy reform, industry accountability, and a long-term effort to shift American gun culture.
To be effective in shifting the national conversation, advocacy groups must communicate in a way that resonates with their audience’s values, not just their own. That’s why Brady partnered with Grow Progress: not just to find new messages, but to gain internal clarity on what truly persuades, and to give donors real evidence that their investments are driving strategic progress.
The Challenge
Effective persuasion starts with understanding what your audiences value, what drives them, and which messages actually move them. But in rapid response moments, many organizations fall back on familiar language—recycling the same messages they’ve always used, whether or not they still resonate.
“We’ve used the same core messages for years. I’m constantly asking, are we just defaulting to what we’ve always said?” —Ashley Lantz, Head of Brady PAC.
Brady wanted to reach moderates and new audiences without losing its core supporters. But traditional research tools like polls and focus groups were too slow, too expensive, or too siloed to support the organization’s rapid response needs and its broader cultural strategy.
The Opportunity
With Grow Progress, advocacy organizations can quickly test alternate message frames to uncover which of them is most effective. Brady partnered with Grow Progress to test two messages that reframed Trump’s pro-gun policies as a betrayal of his “tough on crime” promise.
“We need a cultural shift, not just better talking points. This was about learning what actually connects with people outside our activist bubble.” — Ashley Lantz
One message, Tough on Crime, highlighted that 90% of guns used by criminals come from just 5% of dealers—and that Trump wants to give those dealers a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.
The other, Law & Order, called out the contradiction between Trump’s rhetoric and his actions: restoring gun rights to criminals, enabling ghost guns, arming abusers, and empowering traffickers.
Both messages concluded with a call to demand common-sense gun laws from Congress.
The Results
The test was fielded in just under two hours. The messages shifted perception by 15 and 18 points, respectively, on whether Trump was keeping his promise to be “tough on crime.”
“We know the messages worked. From my perspective, that’s what really counts.” — John Tidwell, Research Lead
The subgroup insights revealed even more opportunity for the team to craft specific messaging around key segments:
- The “tough on crime” frame worked best with men.
- The “law and order” frame worked best with women
- Black people were most persuaded by the “tough on crime” frame.
- The messages worked mainly on respondents without a gun in the household.
The pilot also revealed some surprising findings that point to real potential for Brady to expand its reach. The messages were highly persuasive with moderates and independents and even registered significant positive impact among conservatives and Republicans. There were also early signs of effectiveness with rural audiences.
For example, here are the results to our question: During his campaign, President Trump promised to be tough on crime. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: the Trump administration is keeping their promise about being tough on crime.
These insights demonstrate that Brady’s reframes can resonate well outside its traditional base—a critical proof point for both persuasion on the Hill and for donor engagement.
The Takeaway
For Brady, this pilot wasn’t just about testing two messages. It was a signal to their staff, partners, and funders that they’re serious about modernizing their strategy.
“We have to show ROI. Not just what we’re saying, but what it’s doing. This data helps us tell that story.” — Ashley Lantz
Brady’s team left the pilot energized to go further: testing core messages, challenging assumptions, and breaking out of old patterns.
