Recently the fast and furious scandal has made national headlines. Fourteen Federal employees were cited in an internal report by the US Justice Department’s Inspector General. Kenneth Melson, former Director of the US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, has retired and Jason Weinstein, a deputy in the Justice Department’s criminal division, has resigned amid criticism after the report’s finding came out today. This report has sparked a lot of political discussion, becoming a regular political football.

The question is: how will this scandal affect the debate over gun control and gun legislation in American politics? How does this scandal change the definition of a gun crime? Federal gun crimes, in this case going deliberately unnoticed in the name of a sting operation by the ATF, have a potential to spark serious political debate. Republicans are saying this scandal could have been planned by the Obama administration as a direct threat to citizen’s second amendment rights. Republicans also suggest that democrats will seek harsher gun crimes penalties along with new gun laws. Democrats, however, are using the scandal to open the debate on new restrictions for long guns, which would force gun stores in the southwest to report those who want to purchase more than one of this type of firearm.

Sources
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/21/155513757/why-operation-fast-and-furious-failed
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/09/19/161446695/justice-department-watchdog-blasts-fast-and-furious-operation
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/15/as-predicted-fast-and-furious-scandal-gives-rise-to-gun-regulation-debate/