The jury in Hunter Biden’s gun case voted on Tuesday to convict the son of the president on three charges related to making false statements when purchasing a gun and illegal possession of a firearm.
The verdict came after a quick trial, the outcome of which was highly anticipated.
[M]aking a false statement during a background check to deceive a federally licensed firearms dealer in Wilmington, Delaware—his father’s home turf (Count 1), making a false statement on a form that the seller kept as the firearm transaction record (Count 2), and illegally possessing the gun over an 11-day period (Count 3).
When filling out the background check application for purchasing his firearm, Biden indicated that he was not addicted to illegal drugs, a claim that was debunked when he discussed his struggles with addiction in his book and elsewhere.
The decision has been cheered by folks on the right who argue that Biden should not be above the law. Others on the conservative side, including former President Donald Trump, have also contended that the prosecution is a distraction from more severe crimes committed by the Biden family.
On the left, some have portrayed Biden’s conviction as a tragedy that befell the family. Others have suggested that he should not have been prosecuted in the first place.
However, among many who advocate for gun rights, the verdict is viewed as the enforcement of an unconstitutional infringement on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Kerry Slone, founder of We The Female, an organization that promotes female gun ownership, criticized the verdict. “While Hunter Biden’s conviction seems like a victory to many conservatives, the individuals celebrating this conviction are losing sight of the bigger picture,” she told RedState. “Hunter Biden’s conviction will negatively impact all gun owners, and it’s unfortunate that identity politics has self-proclaimed pro-Second Amendment supporters blind to this fact.”
Justin Nazaroff, CEO of Fenix Ammunition, expressed similar sentiments, stating that he disagrees “with any law that limits the ability of a US citizen to obtain a firearm based on their former or current drug use, because the right to protect yourself using basic tools that have existed for hundreds of years supersedes any ‘bad’ moral or ethical behavior as defined by the government.”
Nazaroff also highlighted how regular Americans are targeted under similar laws.
Having said that - we have seen dozens of normal, everyday, law abiding Americans hammered by the legal system for small errors such as forgetting to renew their concealed carry license, traveling into a state where their CPL is not recognized, or having a single round of ammo in the bottom of their suitcase as they go through airport security.
Those laws were passed by our Congress and enforced by police, and I see no reason why Hunter should be given an exception simply because he’s the son of the President. Or, because libertarians/conservatives are unwilling to apply existing laws to his case.
Time and time again the right side of the political aisle refuses to use the power of the legal system to make examples of their opponents, while the left will literally invent never-seen-before legal theories and use them to bankrupt and punish people who they dislike.
The right needs to get comfortable doing the same, while we of course continue efforts to repeal these useless laws on our own time, for our own benefit. Until then, Hunter can get f***** and he deserves everything he gets.
Maj Toure, founder of Black Guns Matter, wrote a post on X in which he argued against the verdict.
If you think Hunter Biden should be in jail for exercising a supposed constitutionally protected human right….
— MajToure999 (@MajToure999) June 11, 2024
You are DEFINITELY not a republican, constitutionalist, libertarian or logical being.
You could toss a dart at a spinning circle and land on ANY crime that he’s more…
In a press release sent by email, the National Association for Gun Rights pointed out that “For decades, the Gun Control Act (GCA) and the National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) System have functioned to strip gun rights from millions of Americans without due process.”
The organization noted that the same laws Biden violated “are the same laws now being abused to federally bar Donald Trump from possessing a firearm for the rest of his life” and the “same failed laws that stripped Second Amendment rights from 264,000 veterans without due process.”
Right now, the Biden family is getting a taste of their own anti-gun medicine. But so is Donald Trump who’s “take the guns first” comments during a 2019 push to expand these federal gun control laws resulted in Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) putting the bill on President Biden’s desk for signature in 2022.
The organization argued that “These gun control laws should not exist” and that Biden’s conviction “should be a wakeup call for the entire Republican Party … to stop abandoning the Second Amendment.”
Gun Owners of America wrote a post on X, also arguing that the laws under which Biden was convicted “shouldn’t even exist.”
🚨BREAKING🚨
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) June 11, 2024
Hunter Biden found GUILTY on three counts of violating unconstitutionally broad gun laws that shouldn’t even exist.
Hunter Biden’s attorneys have declared that they plan to appeal the verdict.
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