Companies cut ties with National Rifle Association as #BoycottNRA movement gains steam in wake of Florida mass shooting
A bank, insurance provider, car rental service and other affiliated businesses have pulled their member rewards programmes from the gun lobby
Several major companies – Enterprise Holdings, First National Bank of Omaha, Symantec, Hertz and Avis – have ended cobranding partnerships with the National Rifle Association as a #BoycottNRA social media movement picks up steam.
Enterprise – the parent company of car rental brands Enterprise, Alamo and National – cut ties on Thursday, when it discontinued an arrangement that offered discounts to NRA members. First National Bank of Omaha, one of the country’s largest privately held banks, also announced the end of a credit card cobranding deal with the NRA. The bank had issued what its ads described as the “official credit card of the NRA”, according to the Omaha World-Herald; the Visa card offered 5 per cent back on gas and sporting goods store purchases and a US$40 bonus card.
On Friday, Symantec announced in a terse statement on Twitter that it had also ended its discount programme with the gun-rights organisation. The company, which provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide, had been offering discounts on Norton anti-virus and malware protection, cutting prices on its premium package from US$110 to US$48 for NRA members.
Another car rental company, Hertz, soon followed suit.
Separately, insurance company Chubb Limited said it will stop underwriting “NRA Carry Guard”, a policy marketed to NRA members who face legal or civil lawsuits after they shoot someone. A spokesman for Chubb told Reuters that the company informed the NRA of the decision three months ago; the policy has faced criticism from gun-control groups who called it “murder insurance”.
