From: MoveOn .org
The roof is caving in on the NRA.
Last week, in less than three days, 16 major corporations broke their ties to the NRA. United Airlines. Delta. Enterprise Rent-a-Car. MetLife Insurance. North American Van Lines. Simplisafe Home Security. They all said "enough" and canceled their deals with the NRA.1
Some Republican governors and members of Congress are finally standing up to the NRA as well, with new supporters coming out in favor of everything from an assault weapons ban to universal background checks and raising the age limit on gun purchases.2,3
The backlash against the NRA is growing, and the next big moment to turn up the pressure is the wave of student-led marches and walkouts scheduled for this March and April. MoveOn is committed to helping make these events as big as possible by mobilizing our millions of members nationwide, promoting the marches to our social media audience, elevating the voices of the student leaders at the marches, and more—while continuing to exert direct pressure on companies and investing in community organizations fighting against gun violence.
Will you chip in $3 to our campaign to support the student-led protests, challenge the NRA, and fight the epidemic of gun violence?
The true impact of all the corporations abandoning the NRA isn't just a public relations embarrassment for the gun lobby. It goes to the heart of their ability to recruit and retain members, and it’s why they lashed out at their former corporate partners this weekend, accusing them of "political and civic cowardice."4
Right on the organization’s own website, the #2 reason why they say people should join the NRA is for member discounts on everything from hotels to insurance.5 So much for that.
The #BoycottTheNRA movement isn’t finished either. There are another three dozen companies that still have direct financial relationships with the organization. And because of the sustained pressure, Wall Street firms and pension funds are now looking at divestment from the gun industry.6 Pressure is rising on online services like Amazon to stop streaming NRATV.
The brave high school students in Parkland—joining a tradition of young people organizing to end gun violence in their communities—sparked the backlash that’s helping catalyze actions for gun control in boardrooms and state capitols all over the country.
Now it's up to all of us to keep it going. Over the coming weeks, marches and walkouts are being held in Washington, D.C., and at high schools and in communities all over the country.
MoveOn members have a history of confronting the NRA with grassroots activism—and winning. In 2015, after the massacre in Oregon, we organized tens of thousands of "gun owners for gun control" and brought a cohort of this group to D.C. to meet with the president and lawmakers. Several of these MoveOn members were on stage with President Obama a few months later when he signed his most significant executive action against gun violence. After the Las Vegas massacre, we helped pressure the Democratic Party to officially reject funds from gun manufacturers and their lobbyists. And after the violence in Virginia, we endorsed a slate of candidates who supported sensible gun laws—and who beat NRA-backed candidates up and down the ballot.
The myth of NRA invincibility is just that—a myth. And if we can prove that members of Congress and other elected officials can stand up to the NRA and gain political support, it will be the beginning of the end of the gun lobby’s chokehold on American politics.
Sources:
1. "A List of the Companies Cutting Ties With the NRA," The New York Times, February 24, 2018
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2. "NRA battles Florida Republicans over gun crackdown," Politico, February 26, 2018
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3. "I'm Republican. I Appreciate Assault Weapons. And I Support a Ban." The New York Times, February 23, 2018
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4. "NRA lashes out at boycott movement as United, Delta and other corporations cut ties," The Washington Post, February 25, 2018
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5. "Five Reasons You (And Your Friends) Should Join the NRA Today," NRA Family, May 4, 2016
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6. "Wall Street May Be Rethinking Their Relationship With Guns," Bloomberg, February 22, 2018
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