Biden heralds his efforts to strengthen gun laws hours after son convicted on firearms charges

President Joe Biden on Tuesday heralded the steps his administration has taken to strengthen gun laws in the United States and enhance the penalties for those who violate them, in what was an awkward political moment for a man whose son had been convicted just hours earlier on federal gun charges.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday heralded the steps his administration has taken to strengthen the country’s gun laws and enhance the penalties for those who violate them, in what was an awkward political moment for a man whose son had been convicted just hours earlier on federal gun charges. Speaking at an Everytown for Gun Safety event under a banner that read “Gun Sense University” in large block letters, the president did not reference his son’s conviction. Hunter Biden was pronounced guilty earlier in the day of three felony charges after a jury found he lied on a form by saying he was not abusing drugs when he purchased a firearm in 2018. Instead, speaking as someone who has had two children die prematurely, he spent much of his remarks reflecting on personal loss and saying that he empathized with those in the audience who have lost loved ones to gun violence. “Never give up on hope,” the president told the audience. But while he did not reference his son’s conviction on stage Tuesday afternoon, it was sure to be at the top of his mind. Biden is known to be passionately defensive of his family and sensitive to outside criticism of his son’s troubled history. The president rearranged his schedule to leave directly from the gun-safety event for Wilmington, where his son remains after the jury there convicted him. The White House cancelled a previously scheduled press briefing that was to take place Tuesday afternoon.