Former Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine had mixed feelings Tuesday when he heard that President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, had been convicted of three federal gun charges.
Biden was accused of lying in 2018 on a purchase form for a revolver, saying he was not an illegal drug user. Nodine faced similar charges in 2010 and was sentenced to 15 months in jail. He was also facing murder charges at the time for the shooting death of Angel Downs but was never convicted of that crime.
Nodine said the gun charge was part of a campaign by the prosecutors to get him on whatever charge might stick, not unlike President Donald Trump's recent felony convictions for falsifying business records.
"Just like Trump, they kept throwing spaghetti at me after they realized I was not a murderer," Nodine told 1819 News.
Unlike Biden, who filled out a form, Nodine said he was unaware of a law that would prohibit him from owning a gun for what he described as occasional marijuana use. While he still has issues with the law, he understands why it exists.
"I don't wish this on anybody, whether it's Hunter Biden — I don't wish this on anybody," he said. "But the deal is, there's a reason for [the law]. Was he going to try to commit suicide? Could he have hurt somebody else? That's the reason the law is there."
He added, "I feel bad for Hunter and his family, but people have to realize what the law is. Like I said, I can make a million excuses, but you have to act responsibly. I wasn't, and Hunter wasn't."
Nodine said the law needed to be "cleaned up" and applied properly. Otherwise, he said many people may unknowingly violate it and be at risk of prosecution.
"Now that marijuana is legal in 27 states, what are you going to do? You going to go prosecute all the people with guns?" he said. "It's a law that is certainly intended for bad felons who have in their possession firearms. I don't think it was meant for everyday addicted drug users because we'd be locking up everybody, or a large percent of those."
Reactions to Biden's verdict were also mixed among Democrats and Republicans. Some saw it as upholding the rule of law from which not even the president's son is immune. Others said it was a move to distract from more serious allegations or a tit-for-tat in response to Trump's indictments. Regardless, Nodine took issue with the law itself, which he said degrades the Second Amendment for everyone.
"Don't let anybody fool you; over-prosecution is the real problem," Nodine said. "Prosecutorial overreach has been a big issue, and it doesn't matter if it is Republican or Democrat. They go after people for these laws that are created that nobody knows about… These people who sit here and gloat and say this shows that we have a balanced justice system because of Trump, no, it does not. It's the law itself… It's a degradation of Second Amendment rights."
Nodine also argued for more checks and balances on "overzealous" prosecutors.
"If they want you, they're going to come get you. And they have all the time, all the money and all the power that anybody has."
To connect with the story's author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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