For Immediate Release
March 12, 2002

Contacts: Julie Bernstein
          Kristin Becker
          (202) 822-6070

H&R Block Severs Ties with National Rifle Association 

Washington, D.C.-In a stunning defeat for the gun lobby, H&R Block, the 
nation's largest tax preparation firm, today severed a controversial 
marketing agreement it had entered into with the National Rifle 
Association (NRA). H&R Block's withdrawal from the program came as a 
result of widespread protests spearheaded by the Alliance for Justice's 
Gun Industry Watch, and supported by the Million Mom March united with 
the Brady Campaign and the Mid-Atlantic Coalition to Prevent Gun 
Violence. 

"Let this send a loud message to other corporate partners of the NRA," 
said Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron. "If you support the NRA, 
we will work to make sure that your employees, customers, and all of 
your stakeholders know that you support an extremist gun lobby that is 
out of step with mainstream America." 

"The termination of this agreement is a tremendous victory for everyone 
who was outraged that a reputable business like H&R Block would support 
an extremist organization like the NRA," said Michael D. Barnes, 
president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the 
Million Mom March. "Marketing your products to a specific group of 
people is an accepted business practice, but H&R Block crossed the line 
when it agreed to pay royalties to the NRA." 

"Corporations doing business with the NRA should be very concerned by 
the large efforts of hundreds of gun safety activists that came out in 
defiance of H&R Block's agreement with the NRA," said Bryan Miller of 
the Mid-Atlantic Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. 

H&R Block had entered into an agreement with a marketing company called 
Memberdrive to market its products and services to NRA members. However, 
the agreement also provided for "royalties" paid by H&R Block, through 
Memberdrive, to the NRA. According an H&R Block advertisement that ran 
in the March issue of America's First Freedom, the NRA's magazine, H&R
Block "will make a contribution to the NRA for every Member who becomes 
a new customer." Memberdrive's Senior Vice President of Marketing is 
Susan LaPierre, wife of NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre. 

Gun Industry Watch, a student network, first exposed the agreement in 
late February, staging a protest outside of an H&R Block outlet in 
Washington, DC, and planning dozens more. Over the past two weeks, 
thousands of activists including those from the Million Mom March and 
the Brady Campaign joined with Gun Industry Watch and called, faxed and 
e-mailed H&R Block to express their objections to this agreement and to 
educate the company on the extremist positions that the NRA has taken in 
the past. With Gun Industry Watch recruiting students, Million Mom March 
recruiting its members and support from the Mid-Atlantic Coalition to 
Prevent Gun Violence, protests of H&R Block offices in more than 50 
cities had been planned for mid-March. These protests have now been 
called off. 

"This victory shows the power of the gun control movement's grassroots," 
said Aron. "When you engage students and moms together, it's a potent 
combination." 

"H&R Block now understands that, by areeing to this royalty scheme, it 
was furthering the reckless political agenda of the NRA's leadership," 
said Mr. Barnes. "Congratulations to Gun Industry Watch and to all of 
our Million Mom March activists and members for making their voices 
heard." 

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