Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has been indicted on federal gun charges. After an investigation led by Special Counsel David Weiss, the Delaware grand jury returned an indictment detailing three specific counts:
- Making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
- Providing a false statement related to information required by a federally licensed firearms dealer.
- Possession of a firearm by an individual who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
The indictment alleges that on October 12, 2018, Hunter Biden knowingly provided a false statement on Form 4473 while purchasing a Colt Cobra revolver. This federal form mandates that the purchaser certify they are not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, any controlled substances. [Source]
Further intensifying the allegations, another claim states that Hunter Biden knowingly possessed the Colt Cobra revolver from October 12 to October 23, 2018, while being cognizant of his unlawful drug use.
Hunter Biden’s indictment represents a marked escalation in the Justice Department’s inquiry into his activities. This heightened legal focus jeopardizes Hunter and raises the political stakes for President Joe Biden, primarily as he contends with scrutiny from a Republican-led impeachment inquiry exploring Hunter’s business interactions.
Special Counsel David Weiss achieved his goal of indicting Hunter Biden by the end of September. Following a 5-year investigation, Weiss was accorded special status in August. Empowered by this, he brought the gun charges to a Delaware grand jury.
Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, released a statement attributing the charges to political pressures from pro-Trump factions. [Source]
“As expected, prosecutors filed charges today that they deemed were not warranted just six weeks ago following a five-year investigation into this case. The evidence in this matter has not changed in the last six weeks, but the law has, and so has MAGA Republicans’ improper and partisan interference in this process. Hunter Biden possessing an unloaded gun for 11 days was not a threat to public safety,” Lowell said.
Referencing Hunter’s plea agreement, Lowell stated, “We believe these charges are barred by the agreement the prosecutors made with Mr. Biden, the recent rulings by several federal courts that this statute is unconstitutional, and the facts that he did not violate that law, and we plan to demonstrate all of that in court.”
In July, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected Hunter’s plea deal with prosecutors.
Facing the possibility of 25 years in prison and substantial fines if convicted, Hunter Biden’s defense team has indicated they may contest the charges based on Second Amendment rights.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a key Democrat on one of the Republican-led committees investigating the president and his son, offered a succinct statement to journalists. He mentioned, “I know that there are some right-wing, pro-Second Amendment zealots who would say that he shouldn’t be charged with these gun crimes because there should be no gun laws at all. But my party certainly disagrees with that.”
The NRA also shared their stance on the charges, emphasizing the necessity for consistent law enforcement. “Laws should be applied equally against all criminals,” NRA spokesperson Billy McLaughlin said, responding to a press request.
The overarching question remains: Will Hunter Biden confront the full ramifications of the law, or will he benefit from leniencies often not extended to the general populace?