This post is not a comparison of the verdicts in New York and Delaware.  It is about the second verdict delivered by a jury of Hunter Biden’s peers.  One completely overlooked by the post-verdict analysts on every major news outlet.

Most of the attention is being paid to the political impacts, especially which of the two major presidential candidates is the beneficiary of the guilty verdict.  The early consensus was Joe Biden, for the following reasons.

• The split screen with Biden’s respect for the rule of law on one side versus Donald Trump’s ranting about a rigged system on the other, a contrast that should resonate with still undecided voters.
• Voters with family members and friends who are dealing with drug addiction will identify with the pain the Biden family faces in the wake of the guilty verdict.
• A guilty verdict in the “friendly confines” of Delaware undercuts Trump’s and his lemmings’ malarky that Hunter had the benefit of a venue populated by individuals who likely had voted for a Biden (Joe or Beau) at least once.

However, there is one more reason.  With this jury’s demographics, most legal pundits thought a hung jury was likely.  And were surprised it took just three hours of deliberations for the panel to reach a unanimous decision.  I would argue the quick result was due largely to those very demographics and the fact that members of a  jury can put aside their partisan loyalties, but it is infinitesimally harder to cast out their values.

Delaware is ranked #12 in the U.S. for gun law strength, according to the non-profit Everytown for Gun Safety.  In recent years, the state legislature has enacted laws that include:

• Increasing the age for handgun ownership from 18 to 21.
• Requiring a permit to purchase a gun.  To obtain a permit, applicants must provide their fingerprints and attend gun safety training.
• Increasing protection for victims of domestic violence.
• Requiring secure storage and preventing child access.
• Prohibiting certain assault weapons originally designed for military use.
• Limiting magazine capacity to 17 rounds.
• Repealing special immunity for gun manufacturers.

In other words, it did not matter who the defendant might be.  Delaware residents favor sensible gun safety regulation, and their 12 representatives on the Hunter Biden jury would not be hypocrites and selectively apply this core value.  As another recently convicted felon would say, “This jury would convict Mother Teresa of violating gun laws in Delaware.”

This jury, by convicting the president’s son, may have further tilted the sanity scale in favor of a Biden victory in November.  A recent decision by the 5th District U.S. Court of Appeals, “ruled that drug users shouldn’t automatically be banned from having guns.” (NBC News) If affirmed by the Supreme Court, the justices will again be siding with a minority, Americans who believe the Second Amendment is absolute.  Today, a carefully vetted sample of Delaware voters, told America they believe universal background checks are not too much to ask of someone who wants to own and operate a deadly weapon.  They believe no one needs an assault weapon to ensure their personal safety.  They believe law enforcement, following due process, should be able to confiscate guns from individuals who represent an imminent danger to themselves and others.

In short, MAGA world believes drug addicts should be able to purchase firearms.  Joe Biden supports sensible gun safety laws.  And his refusal to intervene in his own son’s violation of such laws is proof positive of his commitment to this position.  One more irrefutable side-by-side comparison of the choices voters face this November. 

Ironically, Biden previously scheduled an address at a Washington, D.C. training session for gun safety activists, sponsored by Everytown for Gun Safety, three hours after his son was convicted of violating federal gun purchase and ownership laws.  Attendees would have understood if he cancelled and went to be with his son in Delaware.  But that’s not who he is.  Unlike his presumptive opponent, being president is not about public versus personal interests.  Joe Biden understands the connection between the two and that there is time for both.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP