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FedEx Won’t Cut NRA Discount

FedEx Corp.

FedEx Corp. won’t roll back discounts to the National Rifle Association (NRA) but says its positions on gun policy differ from the gun rights group.

The Memphis issued a statement about its now-controversial NRA discounts Monday, after hours of silence and an avalanche of criticism.

Here’s the company’s statement issued late Monday afternoon from communication advisor Jim Masilak:

FedEx Responds to Questions on the National Rifle Association, Gun Safety and Policy
“FedEx Corporation’s positions on the issues of gun policy and safety differ from those of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

FedEx opposes assault rifles being in the hands of civilians. While we strongly support the constitutional right of U.S. citizens to own firearms subject to appropriate background checks, FedEx views assault rifles and large capacity magazines as an inherent potential danger to schools, workplaces, and communities when such weapons are misused.

We therefore support restricting them to the military. Most important, FedEx believes urgent action is required at the local, state, and Federal level to protect schools and students from incidents such as the horrific tragedy in Florida on February 14th.
FedEx Corp.

FedEx is a common carrier under federal law and therefore does not and will not deny service or discriminate against any legal entity regardless of their policy positions or political views.

The NRA is one of hundreds of organizations in our alliances/association marketing program whose members receive discounted rates for FedEx shipping. FedEx has never set or changed rates for any of our millions of customers around the world in response to their politics, beliefs or positions on issues.”

[pullquote-1] FedEx Corp.

The company’s response came after hours of silence on the issue and after many companies had already cut ties with the NRA. That silence led to speculation, ridicule, and a massive online backlash to FedEx.

For example, while the media and social media storm swirled around FedEx, this was the tweet at the top of the company’s feed:

FedEx Won’t Cut NRA Discount (4)

Meanwhile, #boycottfedex raged on Twitter with tweets like these:

FedEx Won’t Cut NRA Discount (5)

FedEx Won’t Cut NRA Discount (7)

FedEx Won’t Cut NRA Discount (6)

FedEx tweeted its response to the NRA scandal Monday afternoon:

FedEx Won’t Cut NRA Discount (8)

While Fedex sat on the sidelines for so long, the NRA took to the frontlines of Twitter with tweets like these:

FedEx Won’t Cut NRA Discount (3)

FedEx Won’t Cut NRA Discount (2)