Several corporate firms have decided to end partnerships with the National Rifle Association in the aftermath of the February 14 Florida school shooting that claimed 17 lives.
According to reports, Enterprise Holdings, First National Bank of Omaha, Symantec, Hertz and Avis have ended co-branding partnerships with the NRA as a movement to boycott NRA picks up momentum on social media.
On Thursday, the First National Bank of Omaha responded to a tweet saying "Please END your relationship with the @NRA. #NRABloodOnYourHands" with a message saying it has decided not to renew its contract with the rifle association.
It didn't not take long for other companies to follow suit. Enterprise Holdings, which owns and operates car rental agencies Alamo, Enterprise and National, also took to social media to announce it has discontinued its NRA member discount program.
It remains to be seen if this will have any lasting effect on the country’s gun debate.
This reaction is probably due to the student mobilization that followed the Florida shooting. Hundreds of students have engaged in walkouts and protests urging the Donald Trump government to enforce stricter gun laws.
Following the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, survivors such as Emma González and David Hogg became popular advocates for gun control.
"We certainly do not understand why it should be harder to make plans with friends on weekends than to buy an automatic or semi-automatic weapon," Gonzalez said in her now viral speech. "In Florida, to buy a gun you do not need a permit, you do not need a gun license, and once you buy it you do not need to register it. You do not need a permit to carry a concealed rifle or shotgun. You can buy as many guns as you want at one time."
She added: "We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks. Not because we're going to be another statistic about mass shooting in America, but because we are going to be the last mass shooting."
Kulsuma Aktergetty images