United CEO says decision to drop NRA discounts was personal

The debate over gun control spilled over into United Continental’s annual meeting, when an attendee grilled CEO Oscar Munoz about why the carrier severed its ties with the National Rifle Association. Taking such a stand in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, risked alienating millions of potential customers who have firearms or support the right to own them, the person said Wednesday. The shooter wasn’t affiliated with the NRA, the questioner said, “But hey, congratulations on your liberal virtue-signaling.” “Sir, it wasn’t political,” Munoz responded. “It was personal with regard to my family at United.” For Munoz, the tragedy hit home because one of the 17 people killed in the Florida massacre, Gina Rose Montalto, was the teenage daughter of a United captain. About a hundred pilots and other employees of United, JetBlue, American Airlines and FedEx attended her funeral, according to news reports at the time. “That’s why we made the decision,” Munoz said. “We aren’t here to make political conversation or strike political debate. We’re here to serve customers.”<br/>