National Rifle Association (NRA) supporters are blowing up Yeti coolers and other products and posting videos of their destruction online to protest the company’s decision to cut ties with the gun group.
But Yeti says it remains a supporter of the Second Amendment and simply ended a group of outdated discounting problems, replacing them with alternatives.
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The videos show irritated NRA supporters blowing up, shooting or otherwise destroying Yeti coolers and tumblers in response to a report from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action that Yeti was ending its affiliation with the NRA, according to The Washington Post.
Former NRA president and top lobbyist Marion Hammer told members in a letter last week that Yeti abruptly “declined to do business with The NRA Foundation” and wouldn’t say why.
“They will only say they will no longer sell products to The NRA Foundation. That certainly isn’t sportsmanlike. In fact, YETI should be ashamed,” Hammer wrote.
Yeti said that mischaracterizes what happened.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Monday, Yeti called the letter “inaccurate.”
It said it had decided to eliminate a group of outdated discounting programs and had notified the NRA Foundation and other organizations about the change. It also said it had offered them an “alternative customizations program broadly available to consumers and organizations, including the NRA Foundation.”
Yeti went on to say that it featured and would continue to feature hunters in in its film footage and social media posts, and that it was “unwavering in its belief in and commitment to the Constitution of the United States and its Second Amendment.”
Hammer hit back at Yeti’s statement in comments to the Post.
“After three days Yeti issued a statement claiming they didn’t really drop the NRA Foundation,” Hammer said. “They claim they simply eliminated the entire program affecting NRA Foundation and other unnamed organizations. Isn’t that like eliminating a job position so you can get rid of an employee?”
A number of companies did cut ties with the NRA amid public pressure in the weeks after the mass shooting at a Parkland, Fla., high school. Companies including Hertz, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines were among those that announced the end of discount or other programs for NRA members.
The American Federation of Teachers ended its relationship with Wells Fargo over the bank’s continued ties to the NRA.