When gun control nuts try to pass restrictions on gun ownership, conservatives (rightly) respond by pointing out that there's nothing wrong with guns per se, that blame should be placed on the criminal and not the weapon.

Conservatives also (again, rightly) resisted litigation against gun manufacturers, arguing that 'damage' from crimes committed with guns was the fault of the criminal and not the manufacturer or seller of those guns.

So it is interesting that, given the opportunity to trash a disliked federal agency (as well as the Obama Administration as a whole), conservatives have gone liberal, claiming that this program led to the death of a Border Control agent (as well as some number of other people).

Yeah, but for these guns and this program, the criminals would never have thought to arm themselves... or to shoot at anyone trying to stop them from doing whatever they were doing (/sarcasm). It isn't as if people weren't getting killed before this program was put into effect.

Go ahead and blame the ATF for incompetence, for implementing a program that was poorly thought out and administered even more poorly. But let's not adopt the philosophical arguments of the gun control nuts. For if you argue that this particular agent would still be alive had these guns been kept off the street, how do you respond to the gun nuts arguing that every victim of a shooting crime would be alive if no one was allowed to have a weapon.

Steve - First, I'd point out that the ATF was knowingly allowing illegal purchases to go through. That, in and of itself, is a massive difference that your argument doesn't take into account.

These are known illegal firearms being intentionally allowed to go to known criminals.

Would you honestly argue that situation accurately describes gun sales in America?

No, it doesn't, but it's a difference without a distinction as far as policy arguments and the PR battle would go. You think the media and most people are going to take the time to understand the intricacies of your position? Me neither.

As I said, criticize the ATF for screwing up the design/administration of the program, but let's not blame the program for deaths that almost certainly would have happened in any event.

Dear Steve:

Thanks for your comment! You are correct, but only in a technical sense. If it was not Gunwalker guns that killed those agents, it possibly--not certainly--would have been others. The blame being placed on the Obama Administration acting through the ATF is not being placed by conservative per se, but by ATF agents with a conscience. Conservatives would feel the same way if through their knowing and absolutely predictable negligence, an innocent was allowed to come to harm. The ATF agents who have doubtless destroyed their careers have done no less. This represents two essential conservative qualities: honor and honesty.

The bigger problem with far more damaging implications, is that it is entirely possible that our President and his administration knowingly and cynically put lives at risk--and lost them--in the evil and underhanded pursuit of unconstitutional progressive policies unobtainable through the legislative process. It is neither conservative or liberal to make this argument, it is, rather, American.

Thanks again for reading and commenting Steve.

And that ladies and gentlemen is the crux of this entire event. That the President of the United States and his appointed A.G. would hatch a devious plan to funnel american bought weapons to mexican criminals, knowing that 2-3-6-8 months later they would show up after committing a crime, would be traced back to a U.S.gun store, to use that as a way to justify the implementation of leftist gun controls. Pretty simple, pretty devious and very impeachable. Alas, that is only a pipe dream!!