NRA In More Trouble

Nathan Bomey:

Several businesses with ties to the National Rifle Association are breaking up with the group amid mounting pressure from gun-control proponents following the Parkland, Fla. school shooting.

Cybersecurity firm Symantec, which offered NRA discounts to its LifeLock identity theft protection service and Norton anti-virus software, told USA TODAY on Friday that it had “stopped its discount program with the National Rifle Association.”

First National Bank of Omaha announced Thursday that it would end a Visa credit card that it offered with NRA branding, citing a deluge of customer complaints.

The moves raise questions about whether additional companies with NRA connections will follow suit.

First National Bank of Omaha’s breakup with the NRA put an end to a card that offered 5% back on gas and sporting goods purchases, according to an NRA blog, which boasted that “every time you pack up and head out on a hunt or to the range…. you’re putting money back in your pocket.”

The parent company of car rental brands Enterprise, Alamo and National, Enterprise Holdings, also announced on Twitter that it’s ending discount deals with the NRA.

An Enterprise spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on the decision.

“Banks and other companies are sensitive to being on the wrong side of a social media campaign, which can spread pretty quickly these days,” said Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan business professor who has taught classes on marketing. “They don’t want to risk having people march or boycott.”

But Gordon said a widespread movement against NRA-affiliated companies was “unlikely” because most consumers don’t change their behavior based on political issues.

The NRA did not respond to a request for comment.