Delta Air Lines has faced some backlash after announcing Saturday it would end a discount for National Rifle Association members, but the company said this is not the first time it has "withdrawn support over a politically and emotionally charged issue."

Atlanta-based Delta pointed to its decision last year to withdraw sponsorship of a theater over the portrayal of a Trump-like Julius Caesar.

The company issued a statement saying: "Delta supports all of its customers but will not support organizations on any side of any highly charged political issue that divides our nation." The airline said it "continues to support the 2nd Amendment" and made the move "to refrain from entering this debate and focus on its business."

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Joel Katz was known for his philanthropy, too. Here he is honored at the Music is Medicine exhibition at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in 2016. (Ben Gray / AJC)

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Stacey Abrams speaks at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at Georgia State University’s convocation center in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Abrams is at the center of speculation over whether she will mount a third campaign for governor. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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