These are the companies that have cut ties with the NRA - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

These are the companies that have cut ties with the NRA

Share via

A portion of corporate America has been rethinking its relationship with the National Rifle Assn., taking a closer look at investments, co-branding deals and other ties to the gun industry in the months following a Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead.

The NRA has aggressively resisted calls for stricter gun control in the wake of the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

But companies that partner with the NRA to offer members-only deals, ranging from life insurance to wine clubs, have faced pressure from customers to take a stand. More than a dozen have ended business partnerships with the group.

Some retailers have also taken steps to restrict gun sales, and several financial firms have announced new policies for doing business with those who sell or manufacture firearms.

Here’s a list:

First National Bank of Omaha

The bank announced Feb. 22 that it will not renew a contract with the NRA to issue a branded Visa card.

Enterprise Holdings Inc.

The car rental company, which also owns Alamo and National, announced Feb. 22 that it plans to cut off discounts for NRA members starting March 26.

Allied and North American van lines

The moving services providers, which share the parent company Sirva Inc., both announced Feb. 23 that they have terminated discounts for NRA members.

Avis and Budget car rental

The car rental companies, which are both operated by Avis Budget Group, told multiple social media users on Feb. 22 and 23 that they will end discounts for NRA members as of March 26.

Hertz Corp.

The car rental company announced Feb. 23 that it has ended its discount program for NRA members.

TrueCar

The automotive price comparison website tweeted Feb. 23 that it will end its buying service agreement with the NRA effective Feb. 28.

Chubb Ltd.

The insurer announced Feb. 23 that it is ending participation in the NRA's Carry Guard gun-owner insurance program, though a spokesman said the company provided notice of the change three months ago.

The program that provided coverage for people involved in gun-related incidents or accidents had been under scrutiny by regulators over marketing issues.

MetLife Inc.

The insurer announced Feb. 23 that it has decided to terminate discounts that had been offered to NRA members via the NRA website.

Symantec Corp.

The software company that makes Norton Antivirus technology announced Feb. 23 that it has ended its discount program with the NRA.

Simplisafe

The home security company on Feb. 23 told the left-leaning news website ThinkProgress that it will no longer offer NRA members two months of free monitoring with the purchase of a new security system.

Best Western

On Feb. 24, the hotel chain told multiple social media users that it is no longer affiliated with the NRA and said that decision had been made in 2014.

Wyndham Hotels

In tweets sent Feb. 23 and 24, the hotel chain told social media users it is no longer affiliated with the NRA without specifying when that decision was made.

Delta Air Lines

The airline announced Feb. 24 that it will no longer offer discounted fares to NRA members to attend annual meetings and asked the NRA to remove any reference to the company from its website.

United Airlines

On the heels of Delta’s announcement, United also announced Feb. 24 that it will no longer offer discounted fares to NRA members and asked that reference to the company be removed from the NRA’s website.

Paramount Rx

The pharmacy benefits management company announced Feb. 24 that it is working to discontinue a prescription discount program for NRA members, though it did not provide a timetable.

Starkey Hearing

The hearing aid company announced Feb. 24 that it will not renew a discount program for NRA members, though it did not say when the program will be discontinued.

Lockton Affinity Inc.

The insurance company announced Feb. 26 it no longer would sell NRA-endorsed insurance policies. That includes Carry Guard, promoted to gun owners as a policy to help cover civil and criminal legal costs in cases in which policy holders shoot someone in self-defense.

Insurance regulators had been scrutinizing the program after gun-control groups raised concerns that the NRA was marketing the policy in a way that could encourage gun owners to shoot rather than try to avoid confrontations. The groups also questioned whether the NRA was illegally receiving commissions from sales of the policy.

Dick’s Sporting Goods

The retailer said Feb. 28 that it would immediately stop selling assault-style rifles and ban the sale of all guns to anyone under 21. Its CEO took on the NRA by demanding tougher gun laws.

Walmart

The nation's largest retailer announced Feb. 28 that it would no longer sell firearms or ammunition to people younger than 21. It had stopped selling AR-15s and other semiautomatic weapons in 2015.

Kroger Co.

The nation's largest grocery chain announced March 1 that its Fred Meyer stores would no longer sell guns to anyone under 21.

The company said that since the mass shooting in Florida, it's become clear that gun retail outlets must go beyond what current U.S. law requires.

L.L. Bean

The retailer, which says it only sells firearms at its flagship store in Maine and only guns specific to hunting and target shooting, released a statement March 1 saying that it would no longer sell firearms or ammunition to anyone under 21.

The company also told multiple social media users that it “does not and never has†supported the NRA.

REI

The Seattle-based outdoor retailer said March 1 that it was halting future orders of some popular brands — including CamelBak water carriers, Giro helmets and Camp Chef stoves — whose parent company, Vista Outdoor, also makes assault-style rifles.

REI issued a statement noting that while it does not sell guns, it expects companies that do to help prevent mass shootings.

Citigroup Inc.

On March 22, the New York company became the first Wall Street bank to announce changes to its policies in the wake of the Florida school shooting.

Citigroup said in a post on its website that it would require all of its clients and business customers to refrain from selling firearms to anyone who hasn't passed a background check or is under the age of 21. The financial giant said that it also would prohibit its customers from selling “bump stocks,†which can transform semiautomatic guns into automatic weapons; or high-capacity magazines and that it was reviewing its banking relationships with gun manufacturers.

Bank of America Corp.

The bank announced April 10 that it planned to stop lending to manufacturers of assault-style firearms that are sold for nonmilitary use, though it did not provide a timetable. A company official also said the bank would stop underwriting securities issued by those gun manufacturers.

Vista Outdoor Inc.

One of the country’s largest ammunition makers announced May 1 that it planned to seek buyers for its firearms manufacturing business and instead would focus on products for outdoor enthusiasts. The Utah company said it would continue to sell ammunition.

The decision followed months of pressure from retailers that sell Vista Outdoor’s other goods, like Bell bicycle helmets and CamelBak water carriers. REI announced March 1 that it was suspending all orders from Vista because the company refused to say if it would continue to manufacture weapons.

REI did not say whether it would resume doing business with Vista after the May 1 announcement.


UPDATES:

1:40 p.m., May 2: This article was updated with Vista Outdoor’s announcement that it planned to seek buyers for its firearms manufacturing business.

5:10 p.m., April 26: This article was updated with Citigroup Inc. announcing restrictions on firearm sales by its business customers and Bank of America’s decision to stop lending to some gun manufacturers.

5:30 p.m., March 2: This article was updated with Dick's Sporting Goods, Walmart, Kroger and L.L. Bean announcing that they're restricting their gun sales, and with REI's decision to halt future orders of some brands whose parent company also makes firearms.

2:20 p.m., Feb. 28: This article was updated with Lockton Affinity Inc. announcing that it no longer will sell NRA-endorsed insurance policies.

6:50 p.m., Feb. 25: This article was updated with Starkey Hearing announcing that it will not renew an NRA discount program.

3:25 p.m., Feb. 25: This article was updated with Paramount Rx announcing plans to end a prescription discount program for NRA members.

This article was originally published Feb. 24 at 8:25 p.m.

Advertisement