In the wake of the Florida mass shooting that left 17 high school students and staff members dead, people on social media have been pressuring companies to cut ties with the National Rifle Association.
NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre delivered a defiant speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference criticizing gun control advocates who have ramped up their message after the Parkland, Florida, shooting, accusing them of exploiting tragedy for political gain.
"What they want are more restrictions on the law-abiding — think about that," LaPierre told conservative activists gathered for the conference. "Their solution is to make you, all of you, less free. They want to sweep right under the carpet the failure of school security, the failure of the family, the failure of America's school systems and even the unbelievable failure of the FBI."
The 19-year-old shooter, who authorities say legally purchased the AR-15 used in the attack, had been flagged to the FBI, but the message was never delivered to the bureau's Miami field office for investigation, a breakdown that the agency acknowledged should never have happened.
However, gun control advocates, particularly survivors and family members of victims of the Parkland shooting, have confronted the NRA head on in recent days, accusing the organization of defending access to weapons at the expense of public safety.
Using hashtags like #BoycottNRA and #BoycottNRASponsors, people are targeting companies that do business with the powerful gun rights group and those who offer discounts to its members.
Some major companies in the insurance and car rental industries have already cut ties with the NRA.
The NRA on Saturday responded to the boycott campaign, calling the decision of companies to distance themselves "a shameful display of political and civic cowardice."
"In time, these brands will be replaced by others who recognize that patriotism and determined commitment to Constitutional freedoms are characteristics of a marketplace they very much want to serve," the organization said in a statement. "The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world."
The NRA also, which has faced intense criticism for their gun lobbying, also cast blame at the mental health system, the high school's security system, law enforcement, and the national background check system for the Feb. 14 shooting.
"The law-abiding members of the NRA had nothing at all to do with the failure of that school's security preparedness, the failure of America's mental health system, the failure of the National Instant Check System or the cruel failures of both federal and local law enforcement," the statement read.
Here are some of the companies that have decided to sever their ties to the organization:
First National Bank, which offered a Visa card with the NRA's logo emblazoned on it, was one of the first to announce they would not renew their contract.
@BonnieMcEwan Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA. As a result, First National… https://t.co/tB4PCmnBlI
Enterprise Holdings, the parent company of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo, also decided Thursday to end its discount program for all three of its brands.
@izmccarthy Thank you for contacting us! All three of our brands ended the discount for NRA members. This change wi… https://t.co/CADNqMBpgv
@TimAPeacock Thanks for contacting us. We ended the program – effective March 26. https://t.co/BMqcoac4s2
Hertz also announced they were cutting ties.
We have notified the NRA that we are ending the NRA’s rental car discount program with Hertz.
Avis Budget Group, the company that owns Avis Car Rental and Budget Car Rental, also said they were ending their relationship with the NRA.
@jenniferwindham @Hertz @Budget Hello Jennifer!Thanks for reaching out. Effective March 26, we will no longer provi… https://t.co/tab60ITpjQ
@JamieLawson2424 @Hertz @TrueCar @enterprisecares @NRA Hello Jameson!Thanks for reaching out. Effective March 26, w… https://t.co/Tg07hCbjZE
On Saturday, Delta announced it would be ending its discount rate for NRA members — and said it wanted the company's name taken off the NRA website.
Delta is reaching out to the NRA to let them know we will be ending their contract for discounted rates through our… https://t.co/7ml2n3DbUA
As did United Airlines.
United is notifying the NRA that we will no longer offer a discounted rate to their annual meeting and we are askin… https://t.co/ySSv5fO35P
In Delta's case, the decision sparked an immediate backlash, with Republican lawmakers in Georgia promising to kill a proposed $50 million tax cut on jet fuel that would primarily benefit the Atlanta-based airline.
In a tweet Monday, Georgia's lieutenant governor, Republican Casey Cagle, said he would "kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with the @NRA."
"Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back," he added.
Symantec, a software company, announced Friday that it would no longer offer a discount to NRA members.
Symantec has stopped its discount program with the National Rifle Association.
Insurance companies MetLife and Chubb Ltd. have ended their relationship with NRA, although Chubb appears to have made the announcement months before the Florida shooting, according to Reuters.
We value all our customers but have decided to end our discount program with the NRA.
Some companies that offered similar programs for NRA members also told people they were no longer associated with the gun lobby group.
@undhockeyfan Hello Elaine. Please know, Wyndham is no longer affiliated with the NRA.
Wyndham Worldwide and Best Western, for example, ended their discount program with the NRA after the Sandy Hook mass shooting in 2012 during a similar social media campaign.
@Hanhnguyen79 Best Western® Hotels & Resorts does not have an affiliation with and is not a corporate partner of th… https://t.co/6DLq7U8ouK
FedEx, however, said that while it doesn't agree with the NRA's positions on gun policy, the company will continue to give discounts to the group's members.
FedEx responds to questions on the National Rifle Association, gun safety and policy https://t.co/qYgmbyQ5jk
After mounting pressure on social media to address its ties with the NRA, FedEx said on Monday that it would continue its relationship with the gun advocacy group despite differing policy views on gun control.
"FedEx opposes assault rifles being in the hands of civilians. While we strongly support the constitutional right of US citizens to own firearms subject to appropriate background checks, FedEx views assault rifles and large capacity magazines as an inherent potential danger to schools, workplaces, and communities when such weapons are misused. We therefore support restricting them to the military," the company said in a statement.
Citing the "horrific tragedy in Florida," FedEx wrote that it "believes urgent action is required at the local, state, and federal level to protect schools and students," but said that it will continue to give shipping discounts of up to 26% to members of the gun-rights group.
"FedEx is a common carrier under Federal law and therefore does not and will not deny service or discriminate against any legal entity regardless of their policy positions or political views," the company's statement continued. "The NRA is one of hundreds of organizations in our alliances/association Marketing program whose members receive discounted rates for FedEx shipping."
CORRECTION
Enterprise Holdings, which owns Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, and Alamo, cut ties with the NRA, as did Hertz. An earlier version of this post misstated the companies' relationships.