In N.R.A. Fight, Delta Finds There Is No Neutral Ground

ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines, one of Georgia’s largest private-sector employers, is among the glossiest corporate jewels in the state, contributing billions of dollars a year to the economy. Its hundreds of daily flights in and out of Atlanta’s airport are the main reason Georgia’s capital can brag, with justification, that it is a truly international city.

“Delta is the Atlanta international airport, and our airport is, you know, the fuel that generates our commercial community,” said Sam Massell, the city’s former mayor.

But prestige, boosterism and corporate coddling — all cherished concepts in Georgia — took a back seat this week to the national debate over gun control. In the wake of the Florida school shooting, the airline announced it was ending a promotional discount with the National Rifle Association, and suddenly found itself in the rare position of being openly dressed down — and potentially punished — by Republicans who control the statehouse.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle of Georgia, a Republican who presides over the State Senate and has received an A-plus grade from the N.R.A., joined other conservative lawmakers this week in threatening to remove a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel that some hoped would encourage Delta to open even more routes — and help Atlanta attract even more national and international companies.

The conservative backlash highlighted the challenge confronting corporations around the country that are struggling to cater to both ends of America’s increasingly distant political and cultural poles.

As pressure from social media and advocacy groups has intensified, and calls for boycotts mount, more than a dozen companies have severed business ties with the N.R.A. since the massacre in Parkland, Fla. Just as quickly, a counteroffensive arose from gun supporters excoriating the companies for their stance, forcing business leaders to navigate the treacherous ground where social responsibility, ideology and financial impact converge.