Georgia’s lieutenant governor threatens to kill Delta tax break over NRA split

Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle on Monday threatened to kill any tax legislation that benefits Delta Air Lines unless the company reinstates its relationship with the National Rifle Association (NRA), which is under fire after a school shooting.

Cagle, a Republican who is running for governor in the November election, issued the threat in a tweet on Monday afternoon. It comes as Delta, which is headquartered in Georgia, is urging state lawmakers to restore a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel.

“I will kill any tax legislation that benefits Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with [the] NRA,” Cagle said in the tweet. “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”

Delta announced on Saturday that it had ended its contract with the NRA for discounted rates through the airline’s group travel program. The decision followed a social media campaign which urged Delta and other companies to end their relationship with the NRA.

The mass shooting on February 14 at the Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead and more than a dozen injured, has prompted renewed debate about gun control in the United States. The NRA, which was founded in 1871, advocates for the right to bear arms.

The U.S. has experienced three of the deadliest mass shootings in modern history in just 5 months, killing 103 people and injuring nearly 900 others.