Hunter Biden is now facing gun charges. These are just part of the allegations against both him and other members of the Biden family–all of which should be fully investigated–but we don’t talk about most of that other stuff here. We talk about guns, gun laws, and such.

So it was big news for us when Hunter was indicted, in part because it was a nice change of pace from what we usually see.

However, a lot of people seem to think that this is somehow inconsistent and that Republicans and, by extension, gun rights advocates (not all of whom consider themselves Republicans) should oppose the charges.

Republicans should come to the defense of Hunter Biden. No, I’m not suggesting that the younger Biden hasn’t committed crimes for which he should be held accountable. When it comes to the gun charge against him, Republicans must decide if they’re more interested in prosecuting Biden than protecting the Second Amendment.

The third count against Biden in the recent Department of Justice indictment accuses Biden of possessing a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver while being a drug addict. The specific law in question is 18 USC 922 which applies to Biden as an “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance.” The crime carries up to 10 years in prison. The Department of Justice hasn’t alleged that Biden committed any other crime with his revolver. Biden’s drug use and addiction have been widely documented.

…

Republicans shouldn’t hesitate for a minute to defend Biden on the gun possession charge. The DOJ and state law enforcement must hold Biden accountable for crimes he commits, but defending the Constitution is immeasurably more important than our immediate political gratification. In throwing the book at Biden, Republicans might be shooting themselves in the foot.

I actually disagree here entirely.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually oppose the restrictions that Hunter is charged with violating, but there’s a lot more going on here than my personal feelings on the topic.

For one thing, it is the law at the moment, for right or wrong. A common GOP talking point on guns is that we don’t need new gun control, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. These charges against Hunter–charges that a number of people have been prosecuted and convicted of previously–are laws that are already on the books.

Maintaining a previous stance on the topic is hardly the GOP “shooting themselves in the foot.”

Further, a lot of folks, myself included, have said that while the law is wrong, Hunter shouldn’t get a pass just because his dad is president. This whole debate ultimately revolves around who his father is, not who the younger Biden is in his own right.

Were he some random citizen found to have lied on his purchase paperwork, we wouldn’t have so many op-eds trying to tell us we should be bending over backward not to charge him. There might be the odd column on the topic, but it wouldn’t be nearly so common.

In essence, this Biden is connected to that Biden and therefore becomes a rallying point for those who would grant leniency to him but have remained silent as an untold number of others have been locked up for the same thing.

The law in question is wrong, but if people are going to be arrested, prosecuted, and sent to prison for it then the rule should apply to everyone equally until such time as it’s either struck down or repealed by Congress. Until then, Hunter shouldn’t get a pass.

Maybe making sure he doesn’t is the surest way to get Democrats willing to discuss repealing the law in question.