Yeti cuts ties with NRA Foundation, lobbyist says, sparking boycott cries for cooler company

After airlines, rental car agencies and other companies cut ties with the National Rifle Association, popular cooler maker Yeti has joined the list. That's according to a letter from a prominent NRA lobbyist claiming the Texas-based brand has ceased doing business with the NRA Foundation, the gun lobby's charitable arm.

"Suddenly, without prior notice, 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," Marion Hammer, the NRA's Florida lobbyist, wrote in a letter posted Saturday to an NRA site. "They will only say they will no longer sell products to The NRA Foundation.

"That certainly isn't sportsmanlike. In fact, YETI should be ashamed. They have declined to continue helping America's young people enjoy outdoor recreational activities."

Yeti responded in a statement Monday, calling Hammer's letter "inaccurate." Yeti ended a number of "outdated discounting programs" of which the NRA Foundation took part, the company said, offering instead what it described as "an alternative customization program."

The company did not immediately respond to a request from USA TODAY to elaborate on the statement, including the "alternative customization program" and its terms.

The NRA Foundation provides grants to competitive shooting teams for youth nationwide. Nikolas Cruz, who allegedly killed 17 people in the Parkland, Fla. school shooting, belonged to one such team. Companies began cutting ties with the NRA shortly after the Feb. 14 massacre, sparking rounds of boycotts from NRA supporters in response.

"For years, YETI Coolers have been a hot item for sportsmen," Hammer, the NRA lobbyist, noted. Roars of calls for a boycott from gun owners came swiftly over the weekend.

"You should reverse this terrible decision," Chris Loesch, husband of NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, told Yeti on Twitter. "Do you not understand who your base is? Will never buy or use any of your products again and we had a bunch."

Hi @YETICoolers - you should reverse this terrible decision. Do you not understand who your base is? Will never buy or use any of your products again and we had a bunch. https://t.co/NAiB7Yb8KX — Chris Loesch (@ChrisLoesch) April 22, 2018

Beneath his tweet, user Malena Benitez chimed in: "Everyone in my friend group that owns a YETI is a Conservative. Their demographic is Conservative Middle Class Americans...they just shot themselves in the foot (no pun intended)."

Strings of similar comments appeared on Yeti's Facebook and Twitter posts.

Yeti, founded in 2006, has made its name on premium, hard-sided coolers. The brand has found a cult-like fandom and ubiquitous presence among tailgaters, outdoorsmen and lake aficionados despite smaller models selling for $199.

The NRA's letter did not make clear just how much business Yeti did with the foundation. Delta faced a storm of criticism from NRA supporters after axing its NRA discount, of which only 13 fliers ever took advantage.

Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner

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