In the wake of the horrific mass shooting that killed 17 high school students and teachers in Parkland, Fla., consumers have been calling on companies to break ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA boycott controversy has taken off on Twitter and other social media platforms via the #BoycottNRA hashtag, where brands are stating their rejection of the NRA; or contrarily, their rejection of the NRA boycott itself.
One company bringing the conversation into the alcohol space is Vinesse Wines, an online wine membership club with several promotional packages, including the NRA Wine Club. At press time, Vinesse has not cut its ties with the controversial gun organization.
ThinkProgress reported this morning that Vinesse Wines had suspended the sales of NRA-branded collections on its website. A customer service representative told ThinkProgress that “many people have called in regards to the whole NRA situation,” and that managers are “looking into” how to move forward.
However, a Vinesse Wines representative told VinePair this afternoon that the company is currently still affiliated with the NRA. The representative was unable to comment further, and management was not available for comment.
On the NRA member benefits website, a link to the website selling the Vinesse Wines club memberships is still available.
Other companies’ relationships with the NRA involve discounts for members, such as for airlines, car rental companies, and hotels. So far, companies that have announced they will be denouncing these deals include Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Enterprise, and Hertz.
Many high-profile brands have not boycotted the NRA, including Amazon, Apple, YouTube, and Roku, which continues to host the NRAtv platform at this time.
Earlier today, numerous complaints from the public were posted on the Vinesse Facebook community page, which has since been disabled.
However, some public comments are still available on Instagram and user review site TrustPilot.
