The junior Biden was indicted last month for making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm, for making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer, and for illegally possessing the gun as a drug user.
On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to the three charges. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison.
"I'm not entirely sure that, all things being equal, the charges that he's being brought up on should in fact be against the law," says Mike Hammond, legislative counsel to Gun Owners of America. "But given that his father is absolutely anti-gun and is absolutely in favor of the crazy enforcement of gun offenses, I think what's good for the goose is good for the gander."
Still, he does not expect the younger Biden to be held accountable.
"I think his father is going to basically attempt to pardon him," Hammond predicts. "I think that the Bidens' general attitude with respect to bribery or anything else is that what's good for the little people doesn't apply to us."
On the issue of firearms laws, Hammond has told AFN that his organization opposes some of the stiff penalties for lying on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form, but considering Joe Biden's attack on Second Amendment rights, the gun-rights attorney feels differently in this case.
Fox News notes that Hunter Biden agreed in the summer to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges to avoid prosecution on the gun charges, had he stayed out of trouble for two years. The agreement would have dispensed with criminal proceedings, but the deal fell apart after a judge raised several questions about it.
Now, Special Counsel David Weiss is considering tax charges against Hunter Biden as well. If additional charges are filed, they could come in Washington or in California, where Biden lives.
The case is now on track for a possible trial in 2024 while Joe Biden is campaigning for reelection.
