NRA Fires Back After Austin-Based Yeti Cuts Ties With Group

AUSTIN, TX — A war of words has erupted between Yeti and the National Rifle Association after the Austin-based maker of high-end coolers and thermal mugs cut its ties to the guns rights advocate organization.

According to reports, the NRA sent an email to its members over the weekend alerting that Yeti had “suddenly, without prior notice” severed its ties with the NRA Foundation. “That certainly isn’t sportsmanlike,” the email read. “In fact, Yeti should be ashamed. They have declined to continue helping America’s young people enjoy outdoor recreational activities. These activities enable them to appreciate America and enjoy our natural resources with wholesome and healthy outdoor recreational and educational programs.”

Yeti joins a long list of companies (Delta Air Lines and Enterprise Rent-A-Car among others) that have distanced themselves from the NRA following the Feb. 14 mass shooting in a Florida high school that left 17 dead. Despite the horrific nature of the latest school shooting, the NRA has been unbending in its opposition to legislation that would impose stricter gun controls.

Yeti officials have fired back, saying their cutting of ties with the NRA and their support of the 2nd Amendment are not mutually exclusive ideas. They also disputed the NRA’s assertion that the relationship was halted without advance notice.

“A few weeks ago, Yeti notified the NRA Foundation, as well as a number of other organizations, that we were eliminating a group of outdated discounting programs,” Yeti officials said in a prepared statement Monday afternoon. “When we notified the NRA Foundation and the other organizations about this change, Yeti explained that we were offering them an alternative customization program broadly available to consumers and organizations, including the NRA Foundation. These facts directly contradict the inaccurate statement the (NRA) distributed on April 20.”

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— YETI (@YETICoolers) April 23, 2018

Yeti officials also disputed the notion they were somehow jeopardizing young people’s enjoyment of the great outdoors in taking their anti-NRA stance: “Further, the (NRA) stated in that same public communication that ‘[Yeti has] declined to continue helping America’s young people enjoy outdoor recreational activities.’ Nothing is further from the truth. Yeti was founded more than 10 years ago with a passion for the outdoors, and over the course of our history we have actively and enthusiastically supported hunters, anglers and the broader outdoor community. We have been devoted to and will continue to directly support causes tied to our passion for the outdoors, including by working with many organizations that promote conservation and management of wildlife resources and habitat restoration. From our website to our film footage and from our social media posts to our ambassadors, Yeti has always prominently featured hunters pursuing their passions. Moreover, Yeti is unwavering in our belief in and commitment to the Constitution of the United States and its Second Amendment.”

Not everybody is upset with Yeti following its move against the NRA. Texas Gun Sense, a statewide nonprofit and nonpartisan organization advocating for common-sense, evidence-based policies to reduce gun injuries and deaths, issued a statement praising Yeti for their move.

“On April 22, 2018, Texas-based YETI cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA), a gun lobby organization that opposes most gun violence prevention legislation in Texas and across the country,” Texas Gun Sense officials recapped in a prepared statement. “Texas Gun Sense congratulates YETI for joining a growing number of businesses that have made a decision since the Parkland, Fla. shooting to change their firearm sales policies and/or cut ties with the NRA.”

As part of their statement, Texas Gun Sense officials referenced a recent poll shows that 55% of Texas voters support stricter gun laws in the U.S. For more information, visit www.txgunsense.org.

Image via Shutterstock

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