A software company that decided to demand to control its customers’ business operations is facing a backlash now from the chief of the Citizens Commission for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
That organization charged that Salesforce.com, a software company from the far-left boundaries of San Francisco, is guilty of “corporate coercion and social bigotry” for announcing it would impose restrictions on what products its customers can sell.
For example, no semiautomatic firearms.
“This is outrageous,” said Alan Gootlieb, chairman of the citizens group.
“Here are companies selling perfectly legal products according to the requirements of federal law, and just because those products happen to be a certain class of firearms and accessories, the companies are essentially facing being black-balled.
“Our friends at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry umbrella group, rightly call this ‘corporate policy virtue signaling.'”
He noted it was the Washington Post that reported on the new Salesforce.com demands.
It reportedly has told retailers, such as Camping World, Salesforce has a list of products the company no longer is allowed to handle.
“According to the published report, the new Salesforce.com 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,'” Gottlieb’s report said.
“Some people may think this is a great idea,” Gottlieb observed, “but if it is allowed now because the targeted product is a particular type of firearm, what’s to prevent this or another company from deciding sometime in the future to essentially blacklist another product it doesn’t like? Suddenly, we’re not talking about an affront to the Second Amendment and millions of law-abiding firearms owners, we’re talking about possible restraint of trade.”
The Constitution’s Commerce Clause already specifies that the Congress shall regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the states.
It previously has been use to enforce federal gun manufacturing requirements, but not those imposed by private companies.
“When social justice warriors become corporate bullies, maybe it’s time for Congress to step in and provide some adult supervision,” Gottlieb said. “We’re disturbed by this report, and we hope the software company takes a deep breath and re-thinks this idea. Denying an essential service to a company because it sells some products that may be offensive to some people should be setting off alarms throughout corporate America.
“Your business may not be affected today,” Gottlieb noted, “but there are a lot of tomorrows over the horizon, and this sort of thing can become insidious really fast.”
The published report noted Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff already has been radical on gun control, posting on social media at one point, “The AR-15 is the most popular rifle in American. Ban it.”
Officials with the National Shooting Sports Foundation say Bank of America and Citigroup already have moved to control customers’ actions with similar limits.