SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Supporters spelled out the word "Change" at a gun control rally in Tallahassee, Florida on Wednesday. The immediate calls for reform by survivors of last week's shooting in Parkland, Florida have signified a shift in the debate over gun control. (Photo: Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
Heeding Calls By Gun Control Advocates, National Companies Cut Ties With NRA
The nation's largest privately-owned bank, a major security software company, and three rental car companies have all ended their relationships with the gun lobby
Feb 23, 2018
In the latest sign that the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida tragedy may be playing out differently than the fallout from other mass shootings, several national companies have cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Alamo, Enterprise, and National--all owned by Enterprise Holdings--announced late on Thursday that they would end discounts for the NRA's five million members. Symantec, the security software giant that owns Lifelock and Norton, ended its discount program on Friday as well.
The First National Bank of Omaha also said it would stop issuing its NRA-branded Visa credit cards, emblazoned with the group's logo and called "the Official Credit Card of the NRA." The institution is the largest privately-held bank in the U.S., with locations in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota.
"Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA," said a spokesperson for the bank in a statement on Thursday. "As a result, First National Bank of Omaha will not renew its contract with the National Rifle Association to issue the NRA Visa Card."
The decisions came after Think Progress compiled a list of companies that do business with the NRA, resulting in the #BoycottNRA social media campaign.
Following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a number of teenaged survivors and their families have vocally demanded stricter gun control legislation including a higher minimum age to buy firearms, universal background checks, and other restrictions on the purchase of guns like the AR-15.
The students have strongly rejected the "thoughts and prayers" that have been offered by President Donald Trump and other politicians who have taken millions of dollars in donations from the NRA--signifying a shift in the debate over gun control following mass shootings.
"Some of you said, 'It's too soon to talk about gun control.' No, it is not too soon, no, it is not the wrong time, there's no better time than now to talk about gun control. If we wait, someone else might become a victim too," said Florence Yared, one of the survivors, at a rally at Florida's Capitol building in Tallahassee on Wedneaday, echoing many of her classmates.
As gun control advocates applauded the private sector for ending relationships with the NRA, some also called on companies like Enterprise and Symantec to follow through with their actions and publicly call for far-reaching gun control reform.
Good: Companies that cut NRA support.
Better: Companies that stop supporting politicians that support the NRA.
Best: Companies that take a public stand supporting gun reform & join the fight to change things.#BoycottNRA
-- Bryce Tache (@brycetache) February 23, 2018
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In the latest sign that the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida tragedy may be playing out differently than the fallout from other mass shootings, several national companies have cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Alamo, Enterprise, and National--all owned by Enterprise Holdings--announced late on Thursday that they would end discounts for the NRA's five million members. Symantec, the security software giant that owns Lifelock and Norton, ended its discount program on Friday as well.
The First National Bank of Omaha also said it would stop issuing its NRA-branded Visa credit cards, emblazoned with the group's logo and called "the Official Credit Card of the NRA." The institution is the largest privately-held bank in the U.S., with locations in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota.
"Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA," said a spokesperson for the bank in a statement on Thursday. "As a result, First National Bank of Omaha will not renew its contract with the National Rifle Association to issue the NRA Visa Card."
The decisions came after Think Progress compiled a list of companies that do business with the NRA, resulting in the #BoycottNRA social media campaign.
Following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a number of teenaged survivors and their families have vocally demanded stricter gun control legislation including a higher minimum age to buy firearms, universal background checks, and other restrictions on the purchase of guns like the AR-15.
The students have strongly rejected the "thoughts and prayers" that have been offered by President Donald Trump and other politicians who have taken millions of dollars in donations from the NRA--signifying a shift in the debate over gun control following mass shootings.
"Some of you said, 'It's too soon to talk about gun control.' No, it is not too soon, no, it is not the wrong time, there's no better time than now to talk about gun control. If we wait, someone else might become a victim too," said Florence Yared, one of the survivors, at a rally at Florida's Capitol building in Tallahassee on Wedneaday, echoing many of her classmates.
As gun control advocates applauded the private sector for ending relationships with the NRA, some also called on companies like Enterprise and Symantec to follow through with their actions and publicly call for far-reaching gun control reform.
Good: Companies that cut NRA support.
Better: Companies that stop supporting politicians that support the NRA.
Best: Companies that take a public stand supporting gun reform & join the fight to change things.#BoycottNRA
-- Bryce Tache (@brycetache) February 23, 2018
In the latest sign that the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida tragedy may be playing out differently than the fallout from other mass shootings, several national companies have cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Alamo, Enterprise, and National--all owned by Enterprise Holdings--announced late on Thursday that they would end discounts for the NRA's five million members. Symantec, the security software giant that owns Lifelock and Norton, ended its discount program on Friday as well.
The First National Bank of Omaha also said it would stop issuing its NRA-branded Visa credit cards, emblazoned with the group's logo and called "the Official Credit Card of the NRA." The institution is the largest privately-held bank in the U.S., with locations in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota.
"Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA," said a spokesperson for the bank in a statement on Thursday. "As a result, First National Bank of Omaha will not renew its contract with the National Rifle Association to issue the NRA Visa Card."
The decisions came after Think Progress compiled a list of companies that do business with the NRA, resulting in the #BoycottNRA social media campaign.
Following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a number of teenaged survivors and their families have vocally demanded stricter gun control legislation including a higher minimum age to buy firearms, universal background checks, and other restrictions on the purchase of guns like the AR-15.
The students have strongly rejected the "thoughts and prayers" that have been offered by President Donald Trump and other politicians who have taken millions of dollars in donations from the NRA--signifying a shift in the debate over gun control following mass shootings.
"Some of you said, 'It's too soon to talk about gun control.' No, it is not too soon, no, it is not the wrong time, there's no better time than now to talk about gun control. If we wait, someone else might become a victim too," said Florence Yared, one of the survivors, at a rally at Florida's Capitol building in Tallahassee on Wedneaday, echoing many of her classmates.
As gun control advocates applauded the private sector for ending relationships with the NRA, some also called on companies like Enterprise and Symantec to follow through with their actions and publicly call for far-reaching gun control reform.
Good: Companies that cut NRA support.
Better: Companies that stop supporting politicians that support the NRA.
Best: Companies that take a public stand supporting gun reform & join the fight to change things.#BoycottNRA
-- Bryce Tache (@brycetache) February 23, 2018
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.