Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) reacted to the Department of Justice’s plea deal with Hunter Biden by noting that Hunter was given a pass on things for which lawful American gun owners would be punished.

On Tuesday, the AFP reported, “Joe Biden’s son Hunter has reached a plea deal on minor tax and gun charges.”

As part of the deal, Hunter “admitted to illegally possessing a gun despite being a drug user.”

Although AFP described Hunter’s gun crime as “minor,” Breitbart News previously noted that the punishment for lying on an ATF form 4473–which is what Hunter allegedly did–in order to acquire a firearm is a prison sentence of up to a decade and/or upwards of a quarter of million dollars in fines. Those are the repercussions an average American could face for giving false answers on a form 4473 to conceal drug use.

The first paragraph on Form 4473 says: (bold in original)

“WARNING: The information you provide will be used to determine whether you are prohibited by Federal or State law from receiving a firearm. Certain violations of the Gun Control Act, 18 U.S.C. 921 et. seq., are punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment and/or up to a $250,000 fine.”

On October 6, 2022, Breitbart News pointed to a Washington Post report stating agents believed they had compiled enough evidence against Hunter to bring charges for allegedly providing a false answer on the ATF form.

However, the Post made clear that the bringing of charges ultimately rested with “prosecutors at the Justice Department.” On Tuesday, the world learned that Hunter and DOJ had reached a plea agreement allowing him to avoid punishment.

President Joe Biden (L) and Attorney General Merrick Garland walk into the East Room at the White House on May 16, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Sen. Ernst was outraged that Hunter was allowed to walk.

She told Breitbart News, “Biden’s corrupt DOJ continues to cover up for Hunter Biden by letting him off the hook for his illegal actions. Apparently, the Biden administration’s zero-tolerance policy for gun violations applies to everyone but Hunter Biden. The bias for the Biden Crime Family is clear: while the son of a sitting President who lied to illegally obtain a firearm only receives a slap on the wrist, the Biden administration continues to attack the Second Amendment rights of lawful gun owners in pursuit of its unconstitutional anti-gun agenda.“

President Joe Biden holds pieces of a 9mm pistol as he speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 11, 2022. Biden announced a final version of the administration’s ghost gun rule.Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Ernst added, “The American people have had enough of this double standard of justice.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com