Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, faces three felonies over whether he lied on a federal gun form in 2018 that asked if he was addicted to drugs in federal court.

Here is what you need to know:

What did Hunter Biden do?

In October 2018, Hunter Biden walked into the StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply gun shop on U.S. Route 202 north of Wilmington and purchased a .38 special revolver along with other items.

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People who purchase firearms are required to provide identification and fill out a standardized form collected by federal authorities. On that form, they are asked whether they are an unlawful user or are addicted to controlled substances, narcotics and other listed substances. Biden is accused of answering “no” to that question on the form.

Biden has been open about his longtime struggles with crack cocaine addiction. He’s written about it in his book and discussed it during a court hearing last year, stating he’s been sober since 2019.

He was able to purchase the gun and kept it for less than a month before it was thrown by his lover into a trash receptacle outside the upscale Janssen’s Market grocery store in Greenville. This prompted a Delaware State Police search for a man who found the gun while collecting recyclables outside the store and − several years later − drew federal prosecutors’ attention back to the form.

Why is that allegedly a crime?

Biden faces three firearms felonies.

The first two relate specifically to the form he filled out to purchase the gun, accusing Biden of lying about this drug use on the form.

The third charge pertains to Biden’s possession of a firearm while he was allegedly an unlawful user or addicted to controlled substances.

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Hunter Biden also faces tax charges

The president’s son isn’t only facing federal firearm charges. He also faces nine tax charges in California in another case, in which he’s accused of avoiding paying at least $1.4 million.

He’s charged with three felony and six misdemeanor charges tied to the allegations. He has pleaded not guilty.

USA Today reporter Marina Pitofsky contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Hunter Biden felony gun trial charges explained