Hunter Biden was convicted on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, on three felonies relating to the purchase of a handgun in 2018. The legal issue was not buying the weapon itself, but whether or not Hunter lied about being a drug user on a legal form required to make the purchase.
President Biden’s son has been open in the past about his substance use issues, and in 2018, Hunter was addicted to crack cocaine, according to Politico. Hunter bought the gun in Delaware, and it’s illegal in that state for a drug user to purchase a weapon and to lie on legal forms required to complete the transaction.
Hunter only had the gun for 11 days
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Hunter Biden has never publically said why he purchased the gun in 2018. He may have bought the gun for safety, but feelings of paranoia and other psychological and emotional issues are known symptoms of cocaine use, according to Healthline. Regardless of why Hunter bought the .38-caliber Colt Cobra Special, he only had it for 11 days and never fired it.
Hallie Biden, the widow of Hunter’s brother, Beau said on the stand that when she found the weapon, she threw it away. “I didn’t want him to hurt himself, and I didn’t want my kids to find it and hurt themselves,” Hallie said in her testimony, according to the AP.
To date, Hunter’s sentencing hearing has not been set. He could face up to 25 years in prison, but as a first-time offender, he’ll likely serve much less and may not serve time at all. Hunter is expected back in court in September in California on tax evasion charges.
Republicans have swiftly capitalized on Hunter’s conviction and ongoing legal problems, and will continue to do so as President Biden seeks reelection. The president has said in the past that he will not pardon his son.
