WASHINGTON — Some members of Congress from both parties say the weapons charges the Justice Department used to secure a conviction against Hunter Biden should be enforced more regularly.
Legal experts have since said indictment which is the gun law rarely used by prosecutors. Several senators and representatives told NBC News that needs to change.
“I think they didn’t pursue the weapons charges. I think we can do a lot to make our communities safer if the DOJ more proactively prosecutes gun violations,” he said.
Sen. John F. Kennedy, R-La., also said firearms charges should be used more often by prosecutors.
“Yes. Of course,” said Sen. John F. Kennedy, R-La. “I hear a lot of people say that it’s never judged. Trying to buy a gun and being turned down for your reckless behavior is technically a crime. But because they never bought the weapon, no criminal case is opened.”
“What makes the situation so terrible is that Mr. Biden bought the gun, he had it and he would have had it for a while … if his girlfriend at the time hadn’t dropped it,” he said.
President Joe Biden’s son was Hunter Biden accused obtained last year in 2018 by “knowingly making a false and fictitious written statement with the intent and likelihood of deceiving that seller as to a fact based on the legality of the sale of a firearm.” ‘not an illegal user or drug addict. The jury found him guilty Tuesday.
“The jury was compelled by the fact that he clearly lied on the form while he was a drug addict. And he shouldn’t have been able to get a gun,” he said. “I’m sorry for the personal cost to Hunter Biden and his family, but I think the law should be enforced more often because it will save lives.”
Some Republicans disagree.
“A hunter may be jailed for something, but buying a gun isn’t,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. X said. “There are millions of marijuana users in this country who own guns, and none of them should be in prison for buying or possessing a firearm in violation of existing laws.”
Biden himself appealed to gun rights in his defense, defense attorneys argued that the lawsuit was unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.
Other lawmakers, including Sen. Tom Tillis, RN.C.
“I haven’t really thought about it … I don’t know what the current indictment rate is,” he said, adding that the rarity of an indictment is likely “to do with competing priorities.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, RSC, said Hunter Biden has done worse than being accused of obtaining a firearm.
“I don’t think the average person would be charged with this crime,” he said. “They just did it on a whim.”
The gun charge was initially set to be dropped last year as part of a deal with special prosecutor David Weiss’ office. As part of the plea deal, which was ultimately rejected by U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, Biden submitted facts admitting he was a “cocaine user and addict” during the gun sale.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., an outspoken supporter of stricter gun laws, said when asked about the gun-related charges in the Biden case that he had not learned “how prosecutors approach these cases.”
More broadly, he added that Republicans have a double standard when it comes to allegations of politicized prosecutions: “It’s pretty wild that Republicans think it’s okay to prosecute Democrats and it’s illegal to prosecute Republicans.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a former prosecutor who advocates for stricter gun laws, said of the gun charge in the Hunter Biden case: “No conviction is precedent-setting, but if it sets a trend, all the better.”
The senator added that firearms law is often associated with other illegal activities and he would like to see it enforced more aggressively.
“Typically, due to a lack of attention and resources, our gun safety laws are inadequately enforced, so stronger, stronger enforcement is absolutely one answer to preventing gun violence,” Blumenthal said.
A majority of Americans say it is very easy to legally obtain a gun in this country. according to Pew Research Center September 2023 study. There was a sharp partisan divide; While 86% of Democrats say it’s too easy to get a gun legally, only 34% of Republicans agree.
The Connecticut Democrat cited prosecutorial history to call for enforcement of the laws on the books.
“I have been advocating stricter enforcement of these laws for years. I practiced them when I was a lawyer in the US. They are often – in fact, almost always – associated with other criminal acts. “They are usually part of drug operations or other illegal activities.”