NRA Takes Dell's Side In Dispute With Gunsmith
By Brian McWilliams, Newsbytes
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, U.S.A.,
04 Mar 2002, 12:40 PM CST
Stepping into the middle of a fiery debate, the National Rifle Association has declared that Dell Computer Corp. [NASDAQ:DELL] is not an enemy of gun owners.
In a message posted Friday at its Web site and faxed to some members, the nation's biggest gun lobbying organization weighed in on a dispute between a Pennsylvania gunsmith named Jack Weigand and the Texas-based computer maker.
"NRA will continue to explore these issues, but it would appear that Dell as a corporation does not support an anti-gun agenda, as some have been reporting," said the message at the NRA's legislative action site.
Weigand, owner of Weigand Combat Handguns Inc., touched off a angry debate last week when he posted a message at his site and in several gun forums, describing how Dell initially canceled his order for an Inspiron notebook computer in February.
Dell subsequently confirmed that Weigand's company name triggered an automated order screening system put in place by Dell following the Sept. 11 attacks on America.
Weigand has deflected Dell's subsequent apology and refused its offer to ship him the computer at no charge.
Last week, some gun owners' ire was raised further when Weigand posted an update at his site suggesting Dell was indirectly funding Hand Gun Control Inc. (HCI), a lobbying group that changed its name to The Brady Campaign last June.
The NRA noted that while Dell Computer is listed as a participating merchant in an online mall for HCI at ProgressiveFunds.com, an affiliate program site run by EduOrg.com, the computer maker is also listed in EduOrg-hosted online malls for politically conservative causes, including the Christian Coalition and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
"Such 'affinity' programs have become commonplace in the era of the Internet, and generally do not reflect any given political bent on the part of participating vendors when they do not specifically benefit a single group or cause," said the NRA.