FedEx (FDX) is ending a group discount on shipping given to members of the National Rifle Association, but it’s not for the reason you think.
A spokesman told the New York Times that FedEx’s decision was not prompted by the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday, when a man armed with an assault rifle and at least three handguns opened fire inside the Tree of Life Congregation, killing 11.
Rather, an internal marketing program review showed that members of the NRA did not bring in enough shipping volume to warrant its further participation in the program, FedEx said. More than 100 companies were also dropped from the discount program.
Even if unwittingly, FedEx has joined a legion of companies that have cut ties with the pro-gun organization recently. After a gunman killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Fla., in February, companies including Delta, United Airlines and MetLife ended deals with the NRA. At the time, FedEx said that while it opposed civilian ownership of assault rifles, it “does not and will not deny service or discriminate against any legal entity regardless of their policy positions or political views.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pressured financial institutions to no longer do business with the NRA, a move the organization says threatens its existence. It’s fired back with a lawsuit alleging a “blacklisting campaign.”
A recent Gallup poll showed that public support of the NRA is more divided among party lines than ever. As of June, 88% of Republicans say they had favorable views of the NRA, compared with 24% of Democrats, a 64-point gap. In 1993, there was just a 10-point gap in public support of the NRA.