Ties to the N.R.A. Leave Companies Scrambling for Cover
In less than 24 hours, at least eight companies that had offered N. R.A.
members discounts or special deals announced plans to separate or end affiliations with the
organization, including Hertz, Enterprise and Avis Budget; SimpliSafe, which gave N. R.A.
members two months of free home security monitoring; and North American and Allied Van Lines.
Rob Bradford, a designer who travels frequently, said Friday morning he would take the $600 he spends each
year renting vehicles from Avis to competing rental companies if Avis did not disavow the N. R.A.
“I know that boycotts work, especially in the age of social media,” he said.
“I will go out of my way to avoid businesses associated with that group even if that means spending more money.”
By Friday afternoon, Avis Budget Group, which owns car-rental companies Avis
and Budget, said it had decided to end its discount partnership with the N. R.A., effective on March 26, according to a spokesperson
As pressure mounted across various social media platforms on Friday, a number of corporations, including several car-rental companies, MetLife insurance
and Symantec security software, abruptly announced plans to cut ties with the organization.
The effort quickly drew support from Hollywood as actors like Alyssa Milano, Denis O’Hare, Evan Handler and Misha Collins posted on social media in support of the campaign; several noted
that Amazon prohibits the sale of firearms on its e-commerce site.