Salesforce: stop selling "military style" rifles or stop using our software

[Angel Eyes]

https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Tech-giant-brings-software-to-a-gun-fight-13906606.php

World as a leading customer of its business software, highlighting its use of products to help sales staff move product. A Camping World executive is even quoted calling Salesforce's software "magic."

But behind the scenes in recent weeks, the Silicon Valley tech giant has delivered a different message to gun-selling retailers such as Camping World: Stop selling military-style rifles, or stop using our software.

...

But its decision to force its position on guns on retailers did not sit well with some industry advocates. These types of rules are "corporate-policy virtue signaling" and discriminate against gun owners, whose rights are protected by the Second Amendment, said Mark Oliva, public affairs director of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms trade group.

"It is a very chilling effect when a company as large as Salesforce puts out a policy like this," Oliva said. "A policy like this is not surprising from a company based in that part of the country."

Salesforce's new policy bars customers that sell a range of firearms - including automatic and semiautomatic - from using its e-commerce technology. The policy also precludes customers from selling some firearm parts, such as "magazines capable of accepting more than 10 rounds" and "multi-burst trigger devices."

I suppose Salesforce is within its legal rights to make such restrictions part of its acceptable-use policy.  It will be interesting to see how Camping World and other retailers respond.  Possible gain for Salesforce's competitors?

[Perd Hapley]

So mono-burst trigger devices are still tickety-boo?

[makattak]

So mono-burst trigger devices are still tickety-boo?

I assume that means okily-dokily and hunky dory?

[Perd Hapley]

I assume that means okily-dokily and hunky dory?

I'll explain "tickety-boo" once someone explains to me what a "multi-burst trigger device" is.

[makattak]

I'll explain "tickety-boo" once someone explains to me what a "multi-burst trigger device" is.

Well that's a sticky wicket.

[dogmush]

I have had it explained to me repeatedly and in excruciating detail that if you do business with the public you are not, in fact, free to choose whom to sell and not sell to based on constitutionally protected traits.  You are, in fact, a literal Nazi of you choose not to do business with people because their beliefs differ from your own.

It's about time we get a court case adding "exercising the bill of rights" to the protected classes.

[Ben]

Salesforce CEO:

"The AR-15 is the most popular rifle in America. Ban it," he wrote.

And:

At the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Benioff suggested social media companies such as Facebook should be regulated like Big Tobacco because of their similarly addictive natures.

So, something of a modern day Goebbels emulator. Also a hypocrite, since it's okay to tell Facebook what to do, but this guy can do whatever he wants.

Being generally a proponent of "do business with whoever you want", I also recognize that it becomes a serious debate topic when a particular business refuses service to someone while at the same time being a very large business or a monopoly that leaves little choice for people to look elsewhere. If Amazon bans me because I'm a gunowner, I can shop elsewhere certainly, but not in the same effective way.

Other than the (apparently significant) cost of a business switching away from Salesforce, I wonder how many other companies offer the same type of software as effectively?

[AZRedhawk44]

We just switched from SugarCRM to Salesforce about 2-3 years ago.  I just let our GM and CEO know about this... they're both pro-2A folks.  It's not enough to cause us to deliberately migrate (that's time consuming and revenue-neutral or negative), but it's not something we're likely to quietly ignore, either.  Any additional problems and this is likely to figure into the decision matrix.

[AZRedhawk44]

https://selecthub.com/customer-relationship-management/salesforce-alternatives/

[MillCreek]

Well that's a sticky wicket.

I hope everything turns out ginger peachy in the end.

[230RN]

They're pulling out all the stops. This is just another one.  Look for many more in future.

Terry, 230RN

REF:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pull_out_all_the_stops

[Hawkmoon]

https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Tech-giant-brings-software-to-a-gun-fight-13906606.php

I suppose Salesforce is within its legal rights to make such restrictions part of its acceptable-use policy.  It will be interesting to see how Camping World and other retailers respond.  Possible gain for Salesforce's competitors?

Maybe going forward. If it wasn't part of their end user agreement when a "gun" customer bought the software, then they can't legally impose the retsriction retroactively.

Not sure what the implications are if they don't "sell" the software, but lease it out on a subscription basis.

[castle key]

Do they plan to ban the use in purchasing any other LEGAL products, such as booze or medical care?

Both of those have resulted in a few deaths....

[Ron]

The NRA should publish a list of companies using Salesforce so we can avoid them.

[230RN]

The NRA should publish a list of companies using Salesforce so we can avoid them.

That won't work.

What we need is for a bunch of Community Organizers to gather 1000 screaming women with babes in their arms and mascara running down their cheeks to pile up in front of their corporate offices.

[WLJ]

The NRA should publish a list of companies using Salesforce so we can avoid them.

While we're avoiding the NRA

[Ben]

The NRA should publish a list of companies using Salesforce so we can avoid them.

I'm not sure how fair that would be. From the article, it appears it's not that easy (in money and resources) for a company to switch. It's not like switching the brand of gasoline you buy. I can't punish a company for not detrimentally losing money in a case like this. To me, this is squarely on Salesforce.

That said, I don't know anything about using this software, and AZ's post seems to suggest it's not overly expensive to switch. If a company can easily switch, then a boycott is a reasonable action for someone who wants to go that route.

[Scout26]

Bake That Cake !!!

[tokugawa]

The big picture here is that we are seeing a politicization of corporate behavior, completely divorced from normal profit motives. This is just one more example of sides being chosen.  The logical extension of this is not banning all gun related sales. The logical extension is to ban all GUN OWNERS from commerce, and then all political opponents.
 
I do not believe any of this is gun related at the core- this is a tool to oppress, not a policy issue-if all conservative's drove red Corvette's, the ban would be on V8's and red paint. Guns are a handy tool, an identifier if you will,of those who hold an opposing view. I fully expect voter registrations to become a more overt tool, for the same purpose. 

[charby]

Bake That Cake !!!

I agree, open to the public, must serve all public.

[HankB]

Is this "Salesforce" software just leased, or does it run on the company's servers?

[WLJ]

Article found on Bearing Arms

Fifty women have filed a lawsuit against Salesforce in a San Francisco court, claiming that the company facilitated “sex trafficking, negligence, and conspiracy” by providing tools to support the growth of Backpage.com.

The suit claims that Salesforce provided a customized database “tailored for Backpage’s operations, both locally and internationally,” which allowed the site to “market to new ‘users’—that is, pimps, johns, and traffickers.”

It further alleges that Salesforce helped Backpage “survive and even grow,” despite contemporaneous efforts to shut it down. At the same time, however, Salesforce was publicly boasting about its work to fight human trafficking.

Software Provider Salesforce Cuts Off Gun Industry To Hide Dirty Laundry
https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2019/05/31/software-provider-salesforce-to-cut-off-gun-industry-to-hide-dirty-laundry/

Direct link to the article sited in the above link

50 Women Accuse Salesforce of 'Facilitating' Their Sex Trafficking on Backpage.com
http://fortune.com/2019/03/27/salesforce-lawsuit-backpage-sex-trafficking/

[WLJ]

Also from the above Bearing Arms article

The ban covers Salesforce customers that sell automatic and semiautomatic weapons, 3D-printed guns and a number of accessories such as magazines capable of accepting more than ten rounds and flash or sound suppressors.

Pretty much covers 99.9% of all gun dealers

[Ron]

These people aren’t friends we disagree with, they view us as the enemy.

In turn I will refuse to finance them in any part.

It’s a tough pill to swallow but I recommend doing the same with “Hollywood”.

I will not lend material support to those who have declared war on me.

[Perd Hapley]

Article found on Bearing Arms

Software Provider Salesforce Cuts Off Gun Industry To Hide Dirty Laundry
https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2019/05/31/software-provider-salesforce-to-cut-off-gun-industry-to-hide-dirty-laundry/

Direct link to the article sited in the above link

50 Women Accuse Salesforce of 'Facilitating' Their Sex Trafficking on Backpage.com
http://fortune.com/2019/03/27/salesforce-lawsuit-backpage-sex-trafficking/

Oh, so going after gun owners, to deflect from #metoo. The Weinstein Maneuver.