Since the Parkland shooting, companies have been distancing themselves with the NRA, assault rifles, and guns in general.

I guess this is a good thing at first glance. I mean I really hate guns and to see companies pander to this monstrous industry is detrimental to our society.

But there are some things that don’t sit well with me.

First off, I didn’t even realize that the NRA was tied in with so many companies. I know I am naive when it comes to the subtle intricacies to gun culture. But why in the world does First National Bank of Omaha, Hertz, MetLife, Enterprise, Allied, Delta, Dick’s, United, have relationships with the NRA in the first place. I mean what does Allied, a moving company, have to do with guns? Why in the world does Symantec, a computer anti-virus software company, deal with the NRA at all? This makes zero sense to me.

Secondly, and more importantly, I question the sudden swelling of social responsibly for all of these companies. I mean guns have been sued to shoot other people for literally decades, why now? Does it take a killing spree of 19 students in a white suburban high school to move the needle and not over 11,000 gun-related murders that happen in the US in a year? I am no mathematician, but according to my calculations, 11,000>19.

There is an obvious answer to ‘why now’. It is because it looks good for their business right now to distance themselves from the NRA. It has nothing to do with a renewed look at gun violence. It has to do with pandering to the customer.

What is even worse than that is that it seems to be working. I have heard multiple people on TV outlets praise these newly socially-conscious businesses and actually say they will go there and shop immediately.

I feel this is the same logic as the rehabilitated drug user; people celebrate someone who is now off drugs, even call them an inspiration, yet the people who never used drugs are ignored and even looked at as goody-two-shoes who never experienced life.

In other words, what about the companies that never attracted themselves to the monsters at the NRA? Why not disregard Delta and fly Alaskan Air instead? Why shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods now instead of rewarding the local sporting goods store who never thought about aligning with murder promoters?

Anyway, I guess it is a step in the right direction for companies to say no to the NRA and what they stand for. As we all know, companies have more power than any of us. But I would not be surprised if that sudden detachment from the NRA somehow finds a way to re-spawn and once again befriend the gun folks once people forget about all of this.