Takeaways From Hunter Biden’s Conviction in Federal Gun Case

Hunter Biden, the president’s son, was found guilty on three felony counts relating to his purchase of a gun during the time he was battling a drug addiction. The substance of the case involves Mr. Biden answering “no” to the question of drug use on the required federal background check form.  In many of these cases, people facing this charge often negotiate deals for probation or participation in drug programs, which include counseling and regular drug testing. Nationally, there are fewer than 300 prosecutions a year for lying to a federally licensed firearms dealer. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this case is that the conviction in this case could affect any sentence in his upcoming federal tax trial in California. The guilty verdict in this firearms case raises the possibility that Mr. Biden could receive a stiffer sentence if he is convicted in his tax case, because the advisory federal sentencing guidelines take in to account prior criminal convictions.