In the aftermath of a shooting at a Florida high school that left 14 students and three adults dead, and threats of a boycott of businesses that support the National Rifle Association, several travel and hotel companies announced they were severing ties with the gun rights advocacy group.
On Feb. 22, Enterprise Holdings, which operates Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car, echoed sentiments from First National Bank of Omaha by saying it would end its discount program with the NRA, effective March 26.
The announcement came in the form of tweets, with Hertz posting, “We have notified the NRA that we are ending the NRAs rental car discount program with Hertz.” Within a day, the post received 300,000 likes.
We have notified the NRA that we are ending the NRA’s rental car discount program with Hertz.
— Hertz (@Hertz) February 23, 2018
Two days later, Delta Air Lines made a statement that it would end NRA’s contract for discounted rates through the company’s group travel program, and asked that the Delta name be removed from the NRA website. United Airlines followed, saying it would not offer a discounted rate to the group’s annual meeting in Dallas in May.
In the meantime, Dallas City Councilman Dwaine Caraway suggested that NRA move its planned event from Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, a comment that he said resulted in death threats from NRA supporters. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts subsequently tweeted that the NRA could hold its annual convention in his state.
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts responded to calls for the company to sever ties with the NRA by saying, “Please know, Wyndham is no longer affiliated with the NRA.”
The move cuts one of the benefits of membership in the organization that is described on its website as “huge savings on car rentals, hotels and travel.”
NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said in a statement that canceled benefits would not impact NRA membership, and called the decisions cowardly.
“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,” Arulanandam said. “Despite that, some corporations have decided to punish NRA membership in 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.”
Editor’s Note: After publishing Visit Dallas responded with the following statement:
“We have been in contact with the Mayor’s office, and we support the city’s position.” Mayor Mike Rawlings, said, “We’re always working to be a welcoming city for people and organizations of diverse backgrounds and beliefs… they [the NRA] have a legal contract that was signed in 2012 and I’m not advocating that we violate that agreement.”
