diff --git a/Lib/threading.py b/Lib/threading.py
index c48552458f6..2e6fab9f9b7 100644
--- a/Lib/threading.py
+++ b/Lib/threading.py
@@ -493,8 +493,40 @@ class Thread(_Verbose):
         self.__block.release()
 
     def __delete(self):
+        """Remove the current thread from the dict of currently running
+        threads.
+
+        Must take care to not raise an exception if dummy_thread is being used
+        (and thus this module is being used as an instance of dummy_threading).
+        Since dummy_thread.get_ident() always returns -1 since there is only one
+        thread if dummy_thread is being used.  This means that if any Thread
+        instances are created they will overwrite any other threads registered.
+
+        This is an issue with this method, though, since an instance of
+        _MainThread is always created by 'threading'.  This gets overwritten the
+        instant an instance of Thread is created; both threads will have -1 as
+        their value from dummy_thread.get_ident() and thus have the same key in
+        the dict.  This means that when the _MainThread instance created by
+        'threading' tries to clean itself up when atexit calls this method it
+        gets a key error if another Thread instance was created since that
+        removed the only thing with the key of -1.
+
+        This all means that KeyError from trying to delete something from
+        _active if dummy_threading is being used is a red herring.  But since
+        it isn't if dummy_threading is *not* being used then don't hide the
+        exception.  Also don't need to worry about issues from interpreter
+        shutdown and sys not being defined because the call is protected by a
+        blanket try/except block where that could be a problem.
+
+        """
         _active_limbo_lock.acquire()
-        del _active[_get_ident()]
+        if _sys.modules.has_key('dummy_threading'):
+            try:
+                del _active[_get_ident()]
+            except KeyError:
+                pass
+        else:
+            del _active[_get_ident()]
         _active_limbo_lock.release()
 
     def join(self, timeout=None):
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index f6792396fd7..af7b384b59d 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@ Extension modules
 Library
 -------
 
+- Bug #993394.  Fix a possible red herring of KeyError in 'threading' being
+  raised during interpreter shutdown from a registered function with atexit
+  when dummy_threading is being used.
+
 - Bug #857297/Patch #916874.  Fix an error when extracting a hard link
   from a tarfile.