diff --git a/spec/app/edit-session-spec.coffee b/spec/app/edit-session-spec.coffee
index 5031eb9ba..0ae037450 100644
--- a/spec/app/edit-session-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/edit-session-spec.coffee
@@ -740,6 +740,13 @@ describe "EditSession", ->
 
     describe ".backspace()", ->
       describe "when there is a single cursor", ->
+        changeScreenRangeHandler = null
+
+        beforeEach ->
+          selection = editSession.getLastSelection()
+          changeScreenRangeHandler = jasmine.createSpy('changeScreenRangeHandler')
+          selection.on 'change-screen-range', changeScreenRangeHandler
+
         describe "when the cursor is on the middle of the line", ->
           it "removes the character before the cursor", ->
             editSession.setCursorScreenPosition(row: 1, column: 7)
@@ -750,6 +757,7 @@ describe "EditSession", ->
             line = buffer.lineForRow(1)
             expect(line).toBe "  var ort = function(items) {"
             expect(editSession.getCursorScreenPosition()).toEqual {row: 1, column: 6}
+            expect(changeScreenRangeHandler).toHaveBeenCalled()
 
         describe "when the cursor is at the beginning of a line", ->
           it "joins it with the line above", ->
@@ -764,9 +772,10 @@ describe "EditSession", ->
             line1 = buffer.lineForRow(1)
             expect(line0).toBe "var quicksort = function () {  var sort = function(items) {"
             expect(line1).toBe "    if (items.length <= 1) return items;"
-
             expect(editSession.getCursorScreenPosition()).toEqual [0, originalLine0.length]
 
+            expect(changeScreenRangeHandler).toHaveBeenCalled()
+
         describe "when the cursor is at the first column of the first line", ->
           it "does nothing, but doesn't raise an error", ->
             editSession.setCursorScreenPosition(row: 0, column: 0)
diff --git a/src/app/selection.coffee b/src/app/selection.coffee
index 2569a3a27..8385959d5 100644
--- a/src/app/selection.coffee
+++ b/src/app/selection.coffee
@@ -164,10 +164,9 @@ class Selection
       includeNewline = bufferRange.start.column == 0 or bufferRange.start.row >= fold.startRow
       bufferRange = bufferRange.union(fold.getBufferRange({ includeNewline }))
 
-    @editSession.buffer.delete(bufferRange) unless bufferRange.isEmpty()
-    if @cursor
-      @cursor.setBufferPosition(bufferRange.start)
-      @clear()
+    @modifyScreenRange =>
+      @editSession.buffer.delete(bufferRange) unless bufferRange.isEmpty()
+      @cursor?.setBufferPosition(bufferRange.start)
 
   indentSelectedRows: ->
     range = @getBufferRange()
@@ -222,8 +221,9 @@ class Selection
   modifyScreenRange: (fn) ->
     oldScreenRange = @getScreenRange()
     fn()
-    newScreenRange = @getScreenRange()
-    @trigger 'change-screen-range', newScreenRange unless oldScreenRange.isEqual(newScreenRange)
+    if @cursor
+      newScreenRange = @getScreenRange()
+      @trigger 'change-screen-range', newScreenRange unless oldScreenRange.isEqual(newScreenRange)
 
   placeAnchor: ->
     @anchor = @editSession.addAnchor()