In a dramatic uptick of the president’s son’s ongoing legal and drug abuse battles, Hunter Biden was charged on federal gun charges on Thursday.

The only surviving son of President Biden is accused of lying about whether he was “addicted to drugs” when he bought a firearm in October 2018, according to the indictment filed in federal court in Delaware.

He is the first child of a sitting president to be criminally charged.

The charges, which analysts warn may not be a slam dunk for prosecutors, come just weeks after the spectacular collapse of a plea bargain agreement that Hunter Biden hoped would end his legal woes as his father runs for reelection in 2024.

Special counsel David Weiss, a holdover from former President Donald Trump’s administration, has indicated that additional charges of failure to pay taxes on time could be filed in Washington or in California, where Hunter Biden lives.

Republicans derided the gun charge as a fig leaf for what they suspect are much bigger crimes. Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), chair of the House Oversight Committee, called the indictment “a very small start.”

The three-count indictment says Hunter Biden lied on a required form when he bought a Colt Cobra Special at a Wilmington, Delaware, gun shop. He’s charged with two counts of making false statements by checking a box falsely saying he was not a user of or addicted to drugs and a third count for possessing the gun as a drug user.

Two counts are punishable by up to 10 years in prison while the third carries up to five years in prison, upon conviction.

All those charges where supposed to be wrapped up in the doomed plea deal, which also covered tax issues. It would have spared him formal prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble for two years.

The agreement, which Republicans derided as a sweetheart deal, imploded during a court hearing in July when a judge raised questions about its unusual provisions.

Defense attorneys have argued that the gun part of the deal remains in place, while prosecutors maintain it’s totally invalid.

Charging drug users with gun possession is rare, except in connection with other more serious crimes, experts say.

“It’s relatively rare to prosecute someone for being a substance abuser in possession of firearms, absent other criminal activity, or unusual circumstances,” said Adam Winkler, a constitutional law professor and expert in gun policy at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

Congressional Republicans have continued their own investigations into the Justice Department’s handling of the case as well as nearly every aspect of Hunter Biden’s business dealings, seeking to connect his financial affairs directly to his father.

Despite the lack of any evidence, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this week launched an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

Democrats predict the impeachment drama will backfire on Republicans with voters who want to see bipartisan action on the country’s problems.