Simple. Support for the Second Amendment has grown dramatically in recent years. Also gun dealers were fully complying with the background check laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. So what to do? Work "under the radar" as Obama said to get the guns into the hands of the criminals via the BATF giving the green light to dealers to sell to them. Then when the gun crimes rise, blame it on the guns and win public support for more gun restrictions.
They thought they could get away with it but it BACKFIRED on them bigtime.
It can’t be said to have “backfired” until the perps are legally dealt with. that depends at the moment on Issa and breaking into the MSM. For most of the population, even if they are not buying enough newspapers or watching network news enough to keep them solvent, those are their sources for what they think is reality, or at least the authoritative instructions as to what is important.