AUSTIN, TEXAS —
Over the weekend, the National Rifle Association sent an email to its members[1] saying Austin, Texas-based Yeti had “suddenly, without prior notice” indicated it no longer wished to do business with the NRA Foundation, according to reports[2].
>> NRA: Yeti won't do business with us[3]
“That certainly isn’t sportsmanlike,” the email read[4], in part. “In fact, Yeti should be ashamed. They have declined to continue helping America’s young people enjoy outdoor recreational activities. These activities enable them to appreciate America and enjoy our natural resources with wholesome and healthy outdoor recreational and educational programs.”
The statement prompted a lot of backlash from Yeti owners[5] who support the NRA.
Later Monday, Yeti released a statement[6] saying that the NRA’s claims are “inaccurate” and that the company is “unwavering in our belief in and commitment to the Constitution of the United States and its Second Amendment.”
That didn’t stop people from destroying their Yeti products in protest, however.
Dubbed the #YetiCoolerChallenge, the earliest video we could find on YouTube was shared on April 22, and it features a Yeti tumbler being crushed in a vise[8].
Other videos included creative means of Yeti destruction like filling up a cooler with tannerite and shooting it with a rifle, or just shooting a tumbler with a revolver:
As expected, folks on Twitter had all sorts of opinions[9]:
Let me get this straight: #yeticoolerchallenge[10] = fill $500 cooler with $20 of tannerite. Blow up cooler. Outcome: @Yeti[11] keeps
