A major car rental conglomerate which operates three prominent national brands is ending its corporate relationship with the National Rifle Association, as backlash grows in the wake of the Parkland mass shooting.
Until Thursday, Enterprise Holdings, which operates Enterprise, Alamo, and National, had a partnership with the NRA to provide discounts to members of the gun lobby. The discounts were available to NRA members once they paid the $40 annual fee, and the companies were among the 22 corporations offering discounts and “five star savings” to the gun lobby’s members.
On Thursday, however, all three brands announced that they would be ending the program on March 26.
The announcement follows close on the heels of First National Bank of Omaha’s decision to end its relationship with the NRA. For more than a decade the bank has offered NRA members specially branded Visa credit cards, but in a tweet Thursday the bank said that “customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA.” The bank did not respond to multiple inquiries by ThinkProgress asking for a more detailed explanation of its decision.
On Tuesday, ThinkProgress detailed how 22 corporations were making membership to America’s premier gun lobbying group more enticing by offering a range of discounts (see below). A few car rental companies still offer discounts to members, including Hertz and Avis Budget Group, which offer NRA members “up to 25 percent off everyday base rates at participating locations.”
Enterprise Holdings’ decision follows a wave of public pressure that has descended on the NRA in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 14 students and three teachers dead on February 14. At a CNN townhall Wednesday night, student Cameron Kasky was greeted with raucous cheers after he asked Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to promise not to accept [a single donation](https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/21/politics/rubio-nra-money-cameron-kasky/in... from the NRA in the future.
The NRA, however, accused “opportunists” of exploiting the shooting last week. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said that the solution to stopping mass shootings was having more armed personnel in schools, an opinion echoed by President Trump.
Hertz
The rental car company offers NRA members “up to 25% off everyday base rates at participating locations worldwide” as well as “additional program benefits.” According to the company’s website, those benefits include “everyday savings,” “bonus savings,” and “premier travel perks.” A representative for Hertz did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Avis and Budget
The two car rental companies operated by the Avis Budget Group offer NRA members up to 25 percent off base rates. A representative for the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
TrueCar
The car buying service advertises on a special NRA member website that “members save an average of $3,383 off MSRP!” A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
LifeLine Screening
The preventative health company based in Austin, Texas says on a NRA-specific website that members can “take advantage of affordable discounts.” A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Symantec
Norton anti-malware software, developed and distributed by Symantec Corporation, offers NRA members discounts on various subscription rates. Members can get $37 off a standard membership, $52 off a deluxe membership, and $62 off a premium membership. A representative for Symantec did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Allied Van Lines
The moving company offers unspecified discounts to NRA members through a special website. A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
NorthAmerican Van Lines
The moving company, owned by the same parent company as Allied Van Lines, also offers discounts to NRA members. “It’s a great program,” a customer service representative told ThinkProgress. “We’ve been doing this for many many years for NRA members.”
SimpliSafe
NRA members receive two months free of SimpliSafe’s monitoring with the purchase of any new home security system. A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Starkey Hearing Technologies
The NRA partners with this prominent hearing aid technology company to offer discounted hearing aids and “free consultations” for its members. A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
ManageUrID
Members are encouraged to protect their “privacy and financial security” through a subscription to this privacy protection service, though no discount is specified. A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Life Insurance Central
The NRA-endorsed term life company is listed as providing “higher coverage amounts” for members on life insurance policies. A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Medical Concierge Network
Unspecified “specialized exclusive benefits” are offered for members who want to join this “personal health advisory service.” The company’s founder, Greg Nassief, told ThinkProgress that he has no comment on the company’s relationship with the NRA, noting that it is not political and that his company has similar relationships “with several entities across all sorts of categories.”
eHealth
Members are invited to purchase health insurance plans through eHealth’s exchange, though no specific discount is specified. A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Teladoc
NRA members are offered a $14.95 “discounted monthly rate” for this telemedicine service. In an email, the company’s communications director Courtney McLeod told ThinkProgress that “Teladoc is not an NRA partner” and that “they offer our services (access to healthcare), just as they could offer access to any number of consumer products or services.” When ThinkProgress pointed out that the NRA site claims “a specially-discounted group rate for NRA members,” McLeod said the company “does not have a direct relationship with the NRA” and that any group rate was negotiated with a third party.
Members of the NRA’s Business Alliance, a separate program for businesses, receive additional benefits and discounts. These include:
FedEx
The shipping giant provides up to a 26 percent discount for NRA Business Alliance members via its FedEx Advantage program. A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
LifeLock
Access to LifeLock Business Solutions, the identity-theft prevention company’s business arm, is listed as a benefit, though no specific discount is specified. A representative for its parent company, Symantec, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Wild Apricot
NRA Business Alliance members are offered a 30-day free trial of the member management company’s website and membership software. A representative told ThinkProgress that the company offers anyone a 30-day free trial and “has absolutely no affiliation or partnership with the NRA,” but did not explain why the NRA is advertising the trial to members. In 2013, Wild Apricot told ThinkProgress that the company permits any lawful group to receive a commission if they sign up as affiliate partners and they “do not pay any fee to the NRA, and their affiliates do not receive any discount on our software.”
The NRA also manages a directory of smaller companies that offer discounts and incentives, allowing members to search by state.
In early 2013, weeks after the Sandy Hook shooting, ThinkProgress published a similar list. Since that time, several companies have discontinued their relationships with the pro-gun group. Following a grassroots pressure campaign led by the global advocacy group Avaaz.org, both Best Western and Wyndham hotels stopped offering an NRA discount.
“We did end our discount with the NRA at the end of last year,” Maire Griffin, Wyndham’s vice president of global communications, told ThinkProgress. “We no longer will offer this discount, period.”
A similar pressure campaign by a coalition of LGBTQ rights groups and gun violence prevention organizations began pressuring FedEx to do the same in 2016, but has not yet had success.
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