YETI fires back at NRA, says it still supports gun group and Second Amendment
The National Rifle Association took a shot at YETI coolers and created a stir. Now the company that markets a line of fashionable and expensive products has fired back.
On April 20, the NRA sent a letter to its members saying that YETI coolers had cut ties with the organization.
With a day to let the smoke settle, literally in some cases, YETI responded to the NRA's claims.
In a post on Twitter, the company said that a few weeks ago it notified the NRA Foundation and other organizations that it was “eliminating a group of outdated discounting programs.”
“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,” the statement read. “These facts directly contradict the inaccurate statement the NRA-ILA distributed on April 20.”
The NRA letter said "YETI has declined to do business with The NRA Foundation saying they no longer wish to be an NRA vendor, and refused to say why. They will only say they will no longer sell products to The NRA Foundation.”
Some NRA supporters responded to the news by planning a boycott of the popular line of coolers and other products, including apparel. One South Carolina man took his anger with YETI a step further.
Bryan Atkinson filled his YETI cooler with explosives, placed it in a field, then shot it with his AR-15 rifle.
Copycats followed Atkinson's lead, and the hashtag #YetiCoolerChallenge has been trending. Many people made social media posts where they got creative in the ways they destroyed their YETI products, the Washington Post reported.
The dispute between the NRA and YETI comes after a number of businesses have distanced themselves from the NRA or gun manufacturers following several high-profile shootings.
Companies ranging from airlines to rental car companies ended discounts for NRA members, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Some NRA members have taken to social media to dispute YETI's statement, with it being called damage control. But YETI has said it remains a strong supporter of the the Second Amendment.
"YETI is unwavering in our belief in and commitment to the Constitution of the United States and its Second Amendment," the company tweeted.
This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 5:38 PM with the headline "YETI fires back at NRA, says it still supports gun group and Second Amendment."