(Domenico Fornas/Shutterstock)
June 22, 2023
By Mark Chesnut
Americans concerned that America has a two-tiered justice system—one for influential Democrat politicians, another for the rest of us—had that idea reinforced on Monday by the slap in the wrist Hunter Biden received for violating felony federal gun laws and evading taxes. The son of President Joe Biden, Hunter was being investigated for lying on a federal background check when purchasing a gun, punishable up to 10 years in federal prison. and tax evasion, a crime that sends many “lesser” Americans to prison if convicted. Hunter Biden’s attorneys, however, worked a plea deal with his father’s so-called Justice Department so the president’s son will avoid prosecution.
In addition to lying on the 4473 about whether he was addicted to drugs, Biden also failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes. According to the U.S. Attorney handling the charges, “Hunter Biden received taxable income in excess of $1,500,000 annually in calendar years 2017 and 2018. Despite owing in excess of $100,000 in federal income taxes each year, he did not pay the income tax due for either year.”
Such a revelation also indicates the country seems to have a two-tiered tax system, as paying $100,000 on $1.5 million of income amounts to about a 6% tax rate. Of course, so-called “mainstream” media immediately came to the First Son’s defense, with The Washington Post reporting, “President Biden’s son Hunter has reached a tentative agreement with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to two minor tax crimes…” (Emphasis added.)
According to the court filings on the firearms charge, “The defendant has agreed to enter a Pretrial Diversion Agreement with respect to the firearm Information.” Through that agreement, Hunter Biden would not actually be pleading guilty to the lesser charge of possessing a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. Prosecutors haven’t said why he wasn’t charged with lying on the background check form, which is the crime he actually committed. [NOTE: When the details on the Pretrial Diversion Agreement are released, Firearms News will follow up with another report.]
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There are two major ironies here. First, concerning the younger Biden’s firearm felony, instituting so-called “universal” background checks has been a major emphasis for the president since his first day in office. But it seems that if his own family breaks the current law—which isn’t strong enough for the president—it’s not considered a big deal. Interestingly, prosecutors not charging the younger Biden for lying on the form but instead for possessing a firearm while an addict has allowed liberal media outlets to pontificate how charges are seldom filed in such cases so Biden’s plea is “extremely harsh.”
Second, Biden has forced many firearms dealers out of business by his “zero-tolerance” policy for retail gun sellers who make even small clerical errors in their paperwork. Yet, his son can lie on the very same paperwork and somehow avoid prosecution. That fact struck officials at the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF ) as abjectly unfair.
“Under this administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy, licensed firearm retailers have had their lives destroyed for paperwork mistakes far less egregious than buying a gun when you are a crack addict,” Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF’s senior vice president and general counsel, said in a press release distributed after the announcement. “They are not serious about reducing gun violence, only scoring cheap political points. It is worth noting this announcement came today, after President Biden’s appearance in Hartford last Friday to call for gun control.”
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Following the Hunter Biden announcement, some Congressional Republicans said the deal is even more reason to continue investigating Hunter and President Biden for a number of alleged crimes, including taking millions of dollars from those close to the Chinese Communist Party.
“It continues to show the two-tier system in America,” said U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. “If you are the president’s leading political opponent, the DOJ tries to literally put you in jail and give you prison time. But if you are the president’s son, you get a sweetheart deal.”
Interestingly, just last month, President Biden was still lying to the American people about his son, saying Hunter “has done nothing wrong.” Following the announcement, the president stated, “I’m very proud of my son.”
In the end, special treatment for a felon because he’s the president’s son does nothing to dispel the notion that America is currently operating under a system of “rules for thee, but not for me.” It’s likely that if a Firearms News reader not related to the Bidens sometime in the future fails to pay more than $200,000 in taxes and lies when filling out a federal background check form, the “Justice” Department won’t be so quick to make a deal to keep him or her out of prison.
About the Author Freelance writer and editor Mark Chesnut is the owner/editorial director at Red Setter Communications LLC. An avid hunter, shooter and political observer, he has been covering Second Amendment issues and politics on a near-daily basis for nearly 25 years.
If you have any thoughts or comments on this article, we’d love to hear them. Email us at FirearmsNews@Outdoorsg.com .