Its not the BLM's job to shut the gate tier job is to allow public acess to public lands.
Thanks for the post Poseiden and I do understand where are you are coming from.
Couple of points to clarify:
1) Actually it is BLM responsibility to close and secure the gates - it is their policy and different BLM roads are secured at different points in the year. Stated BLM policy on the road that the Kim's accidentally took was supposed to be closed and locked on Nov 1st.
2) If you think their policy should change you should petition BLM to change it. BLM failed in implementing their policies in this case.
3) I have talked to several locals near the BLM road and most of them have stated there are other ways for hunters, etc to gain "road" access to this area and locking this BLM might be inconvenient for some it certainly does not block access to this area.
I take exception to your comment about technoids...I am one too but I am also quite experienced with the outdoors and survival techniques and quite frankly emergency procedures. Not all geeks are outdoor challenged. I think generalizations - although they provide a comfort zone for some - are a very dangerous thing.
Lastly, I do understand your passion for the outdoors and can appreciate how you feel about accessing the BLM roads. However, in this case BLM failed to implement its policies in this particular location and for no good reason.