Some of the biggest hotel chains in the world are offering discounts to members of the notorious US guns lobby, the NRA -- an organisation aggressively pushing to get more guns on American streets and in schools, at the expense of communities' safety across the US.
The Marriott, Hilton, and Holiday Inn’s incentives help the National Rifle Association collect millions in annual fees from members -- money that ends up in the pockets of politicians who will oppose sensible gun legislation in the US.
For years, mass shootings in the US have been met with calls for change, followed by legislative stalemates in the face of an NRA-sponsored American Congress. But now, as survivors of the latest school shooting in Florida push politicians to renounce NRA campaign contributions and support an assault rifle ban, we have a rare chance to change things.
You may not live in the US, but SumOfUs members like you in the UK can help make an impact in this moment, by calling on global hotel chains to end their complicity in the NRA’s stranglehold on U.S. politics.
After a former student opened fire with an assault rifle on students and staff at Stoneman Douglas High School, the NRA has doubled down on its defence of the “right” of civilians to own military-grade weapons designed for the theatre of war.
While the powerful stories of Parkland students and parents are shifting some politicians, money talks -- and, thanks for their soaring membership numbers, the NRA have plenty of it. With your voice today, together we can help erode the power of the US’ most powerful gun lobby.
When survivors of the latest school shooting in Florida urged Senator Marco Rubio to reject future NRA funding and support an assault rifle ban, he waffled his way out of a straight answer. The $3.2 (£2.25) million the NRA poured in support of Rubio’s 2016 presidential and Senate campaigns likely has something to do with that.
It’s clearer than ever that the NRA doesn’t speak for the average American -- a 2016 poll showed almost two-thirds of Americans supported an assault weapons ban -- but it’s up to us to make sure our voices speak louder than the NRA’s dirty money. That’s why we’re coming together to hit the NRA where it hurts -- their membership.
We need your voice today to call on Marriott, Hilton, and Holiday Inn to stop offering incentives for NRA members.
After over 300 mass-shootings since 2013 in the United States, the NRA’s reputation should be in shambles -- but as long as their members and corporate allies have their back, they’ll continue to fight to control the U.S. political system. That’s why now is the time to tell these hotel chains that the world is watching. We know they are taking notice.
Over 30,000 SumOfUs members like you in the US signed this petition and it started gaining speed. Hilton hotels got in touch, but refused to take responsibility for NRA members receiving discounts at the hotel-chain, citing third party sellers. We need your voice today to ramp up the pressure: Let's show these multinational hotel chains what international solidarity looks like. Are you in?
More information
Newsweek. 23 February 2018.
ThinkProgress. 20 February 2018.