The Gun Charges Against Hunter Biden Are Unusual. Here’s Why.

The Gun Charges Against Hunter Biden Are Unusual. Here’s Why.

Glenn Thrush

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The heart of the federal case against the president’s son — that he lied about drug use on a federal form when he purchased a handgun — is not typically the basis for a stand-alone prosecution.

Hunter Biden outside the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Del., in July.Credit…Kenny Holston/The New York Times.

On the face of it, Hunter Biden appears at risk of being sentenced to as long as 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines if he is convicted on the three gun charges brought against him by federal prosecutors on Thursday.

In reality, few people fitting Mr. Biden’s profile — a first-time, nonviolent offender accused of lying on a federal firearms application, who never used the gun (in his case, a Colt Cobra .38 that he held onto for less than two weeks five years ago) to commit a crime — get serious prison time for the offenses charged in the indictment.

This article a first appears on print on Sept. 16, 2023, Section A, Page 15 of the New York edition with the headline: Charges vs. Biden’s Son.