Dell now claims that they don’t discriminate against anyone and that the government made them do it.  I still don’t trust them and I still won’t do business with them (especially given their stupid CHL policies), but I guess there’s nothing more to be gained by flogging Dell.  The marketplace will sort them out eventually.

Read on for Dell’s last email.

Dear Valued Customers and Friends:

We appreciate the opportunity to clarify the facts regarding a customer

issue reported in the media and Dell’s position on political or social

issues that many of you care deeply about.

Regarding Handgun Rights/Handgun Control….

Dell is a publicly-traded, customer-focused company with customers,

shareholders and employees on both sides of many public, social and

political issues. Our place is to serve our customers rather than to endorse

or support one position over another in public debates outside the scope of

our industry.

We do not discriminate against any business, regardless of the products or

services they sell, nor do we discriminate against individual customers. We

do, however, respect the right of any organization or individual to have

their own point of view. We follow all laws, rules and regulations.

Regarding allegations that Dell supports Handgun Control organizations

through the Dell Affiliates program…

Dell as a company remains neutral on handgun rights and handgun control.

Dell customers can support causes and organizations, if they choose, through

Dell’s affiliates program and charitable websites such as igive.com and

progressivefunds.com. These sites feature links to Dell’s website. Dell’s

affiliates program provides a way for customers to support the cause or

organization of their choice through their Dell purchases. Affiliate

participants, such as igive.com and progressivefunds.com, include

organizations and causes on different sides of nearly every social issue.

Some of the organizations participating through Dell affiliates such as

igive.com and progressivefunds.com., promote handgun rights, others promote

handgun control. Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) has been reported as one

organization that participates in this program. Others including The Gun

Owners Foundation and the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners

Foundation, Inc. also participate through Dell affiliate igive.com.

The only organizations prohibited from participating in Dell’s affiliates

program are those that promote sexually explicit material; promote violence;

promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality,

disability, sexual orientation or age; or promote illegal activities.

Regarding the assertion that Dell cancelled Mr. Jack Weigand’s order for a

notebook computer because of his firearm association…

We made a mistake. Mr. Weigand’s order was improperly cancelled because we

did not gather the additional information required by U.S. law to process

his order. Dell flagged Mr. Weigand’s order (initiated under his company

name Weigand’s Combat Firearms) for additional follow-up (and then we failed

to do so) because of the word “combat” in his company name. This internal

control is in place to ensure that a domestic purchase is not redirected to

an end user for a prohibited use (such as the creation and development of

weapons of mass destruction) or to a country that has been restricted from

receiving U.S. technology exports (such as Libya, Syria, Iran and Iraq).

This due diligence is required by U.S. law. We also review orders for words

such as “nuclear,” “missile,” and “plutonium.” Dell’s process excludes

reviews for “guns” or “firearms.”

The mistake was ours because we failed to follow our process. We failed to

call Mr. Weigand for information that would have satisfied legal

requirements and ultimately would have resulted in completion of Mr.

Weigand’s transaction. We have apologized for this mistake directly to Mr.

Weigand. We have tried to make it right with our customer by giving him a

free computer for his trouble and inconvenience.

Dell has many customers and employees who are handgun owners and

enthusiasts. We know that gun owners and advocates, such as Mr. Weigand, are

law abiding Americans, and as such, can understand and appreciate our

efforts to comply with American export laws, while serving all customers.

We have heard from many of you over the last few days, and we appreciate the

opportunity to speak with you directly about these issues. Your

relationships with us, and your feedback about our products and services are

crucial to our success.

Sincerely,

Tom Green

Senior Vice President,

Law and Administration

Dell Computer Corporation