Hunter Biden has been found guilty in his federal gun trial in Wilmington, Delaware. The president’s son faced three felony counts for lying on a federal form about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018. He claimed he wasn’t a drug user, but prosecutors argued he illegally possessed the gun for 11 days.
After about three hours of deliberation over two days, the jury found Hunter guilty on all three charges:
1. Making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm.
2. Making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed firearms dealer.
3. Possessing a firearm as an unlawful user or addict of a controlled substance.
Hunter’s defense was that while he had abused drugs in the past, as he admitted in his memoir “Beautiful Things,” he wasn’t abusing drugs at the time of the purchase. Despite presenting evidence to support this claim, the jury wasn’t convinced.
First Lady Jill Biden, along with other family members and friends, supported Hunter throughout the trial. Honestly, I’m surprised by the verdict. I thought they might sweep this under the rug and find him innocent, which would have sparked outrage among us gun rights supporters.
As a lawyer, I recognize that Hunter clearly broke the law. But what bothers me is the question he lied about on the federal form 4473. This form asks if the buyer is an unlawful user or addicted to any controlled substance. Hunter said “no,” which was a lie.
Here’s my take: This question shouldn’t even be on the 4473. I personally dislike marijuana, but I don’t think it should be a controlled substance, nor should its use bar someone from buying a gun if they’re not under the influence at the time. You can be addicted to alcohol and still buy a car as long as you’re not drunk when purchasing or driving it. Why not treat it the same way for firearms?
In some states like California, marijuana is more or less treated like cigarettes. But federally, it’s still a controlled substance. This forces people to either lie on the form or forfeit their right to buy a gun. It’s absurd. Hunter Biden was using something much harder than marijuana, and I don’t defend that. But the form 4473 is outdated and practically designed to trip people up and create a de facto national gun registry.
What do you think? Should Hunter Biden have been found guilty? Should he serve jail time? Most importantly, should the question about drug use be on the 4473? Or should the 4473 even exist in the first place? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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