Companies Halt Giving NRA Benefits, Including Major Airlines

HOUSTON, TX — It's hard to predict the short- or long-term effects of major companies yanking their partnership with the National Rifle Association (NRA) last weekend, especially in Texas. The Lone Star State is a happy, gun-toting, red meat, right red state. Texans own guns — lots of them — and they love their guns. The NRA donates more to Texas politicians than any other states.

On Saturday, 10 days after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Delta and United Airlines pulled their benefits packages previously awarded to NRA members. This comes on the heels of rental car companies Hertz, Enterprise, Alamo, National Car Rental and Avis Budget ended their discounts.

The ball began rolling Thursday when First National Bank of Omaha became one of the first companies to announce it would end its relationship with the NRA — via Twitter — saying it would not renew its contract to issue the NRA Visa card.

Delta is reaching out to the NRA to let them know we will be ending their contract for discounted rates through our group travel program. We will be requesting that the NRA remove our information from their website.

— Delta (@Delta) February" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/Delta/stat... 24, 2018

United is notifying the NRA that we will no longer offer a discounted rate to their annual meeting and we are asking that the NRA remove our information from their website.

Things actually got moving earlier in the week when Dallas Mayor Pro-Tem Dwaine Caraway announced he wanted his city to keep the NRA out of Dallas for its annual meetings.

Mayor Pro-Tem Dwaine Caraway wants to keep @NRA out of #Dallas for @AnnualMeetings. RT to let him know #NRA members won’t back down, and we’ll see him in May! Read More: https://t.co/Ble1o5OBoZ pic.twitter.com/dthnO2agmz

Houston has two busy airports with George Bush International and Hobby. Though car rental may be optimal for NRA members, there's also other options like, other rental companies along with Uber and Lyft and traditional taxicab services.

Wyndham also announced it would no longer offer the discount to NRA members.

The Washington Post reported that members of the Texas congressional delegation have received $427,800 in donations from the NRA since 1998. U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, comes in second behind U.S. Pete Sessions, R - Dallas, after getting around $34,000 from the group.

Here are some of the companies that have severed either ties or NRA member discounts:

• Delta Airlines
• United Airlines
• First National Bank of Omaha
• Enterprise Holdings
• Symantec Corporation
• MetLife
• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Of course, the NRA had its response.

Let it be absolutely clear. The loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world. #StandandFight #NRA #2A https://t.co/4kzNq9GDLq

— NRA (@NRA) February" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/NRA/status... 25, 2018

Image: The booth of National Rifle Association (NRA) is seen during CPAC 2018 February 22, 2018 in National Harbor, Maryland. The American Conservative Union hosted its annual Conservative Political Action Conference to discuss conservative agenda. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)