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Are Lebanon and Israel on the cusp of war?

Tensions and tit-for-tat attacks are escalating between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Since October 8, Hezbollah has engaged Israel in a low-level conflict to impede Israel’s war on Gaza, which has already killed more than 36,000 people. Civilians have been evacuated from villages on both sides of the border. Israel has targeted Lebanese villages with white phosphorus, while Hezbollah has targeted Israeli military installations with drones, guided missiles, and other weapons. Over the last week, both sides have stepped up attacks as US President Joe Biden pushes for a ceasefire in Gaza. Here’s all you need to know about whether Hezbollah and Israel will go to war. Who is Hezbollah? Hezbollah is a Shia group that first emerged to confront Israel’s 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon, which began in 1982. Backed by Iran, Hezbollah poses the largest military threat to Israel, according to Israeli and regional security experts. In 2006, Hezbollah stood up to an all-out assault by Israel and has only grown stronger since then. Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised address during a ceremony, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon May 31, 2024 [Mohamed Azakir/Reuters] Why are Hezbollah and Israel at odds? After the occupation of Lebanon ended, Israel and Hezbollah’s relationship remained fraught. In 2006, Hezbollah ambushed Israeli soldiers, killing three and kidnapping two. Israel responded by launching a war on Lebanon, reaching the capital Beirut. There, Israel employed its “Dahiya Doctrine” – named after a Beirut neighbourhood Hezbollah controls – which entails targeting civilian infrastructure. The war lasted 34 days, killed 1,901 Lebanese people and displaced 900,000.  About 165 Israelis were killed. However, Hezbollah was not destroyed. The group has since accumulated more sophisticated weapons and experience as it fought alongside the Syrian government during the country’s war, where it was accused of committing war crimes against Syrian civilians. What has happened since Israel’s war on Gaza started? Since Israel launched its devastating war on Gaza after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, Hezbollah has fought a low-level conflict with Israel. Fighting has followed what seem to be “rules of engagement” in which both sides try to avoid significant civilian casualties. However, Israel has progressively struck deeper into Lebanon and killed many civilians. Why is it feared that a major conflict is coming? Because Israel seems to be threatening exactly that. On June 5, Hezbollah fired two suicide drones into an Israeli village that killed two people and injured 11. Israeli firefighters also rushed to put out almost 100 fires that broke out from Hezbollah attacks. Subsequently, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Israel is prepared for a very tense operation on its border with Lebanon”. Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited some of areas hit by the fires in the north and later told reporters, “It is unacceptable that a region in our country is targeted while Lebanon remains quiet. We must burn all of Hezbollah’s outposts. Destroy them.” Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks at a conference calling for the establishment of illegal Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip at the International Convention Centre, Jerusalem, January 28, 2024 [Abir Sultan/EPA] Despite Israel’s rhetoric, Imad Salamey, an associate professor of political science at the Lebanese American University, does not believe an Israeli invasion is imminent. “Israel is facing significant challenges on multiple fronts, including regional security threats and internal political dynamics,” he told Al Jazeera. “An invasion would likely result in severe international condemnation and strained relations with key allies, particularly the United States, which would complicate support,” he added. What’s the calculus in Israel? There are many voices in Israel demanding their government attack Hezbollah, the question is if they will be heeded. They fear Hezbollah will attack Israeli military outposts and communities, as Hamas did on October 7, according to Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli commentator and political analyst. Supporters of bereaved family members and the families of captives who were kidnapped during the October 7 attack by Hamas, protest on a Day of Disruption by antigovernment protest groups, outside the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament in Jerusalem, May 20, 2024 [Ammar Awad/Reuters] Many Israelis, she said, do not believe Hezbollah when it says it will stop attacking Israel if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza. On the contrary, she said, many Israelis believe fighting Hezbollah is necessary for displaced citizens to return safely to their homes in the north. “I don’t think there are enough voices [in Israel] playing out the devastating consequences … of [Hezbollah] strikes on civilian infrastructure in Israel,” Scheindlin said. “It’s known. It’s not a secret. Nobody’s hiding it … but not quite front and centre.” What’s the calculus for Hezbollah? Hezbollah’s recent attacks aim to warn Israel that it has the capacity to inflict serious damage, according to Michael Young, an analyst and senior editor at the Carnegie Middle East Centre think tank in Beirut. “These are all messages to Israel. ‘Don’t think today you will win a war or a war will advance your calls or create more leverage.’ “Each side, in my mind, is preparing for a negotiation,” he told Al Jazeera. Young added that he expects the fighting will escalate as both sides try to gain leverage in negotiations, which he believes Hezbollah covets to end the fighting. “Hezbollah has been clear. The day fighting in Gaza stops will be the day fighting in southern Lebanon will stop,” he told Al Jazeera. “Hezbollah does not want a grey situation on the Lebanese border and they don’t want a situation where no agreement is reached … because that means Israel can continue to hit them and assassinate their fighters.” Adblock test (Why?)

Delegates walk out of UN meeting during Israel speech

NewsFeed Dozens of delegates walked out of a UN meeting as an Israeli official responded to criticism it has decimated Palestinian workers’ labour rights since the start of its war in Gaza. Published On 7 Jun 20247 Jun 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

‘The article was BS’: Biden’s Cabinet fires back at scathing report exposing his mental acuity

A scathing article about President Biden’s mental acuity — which included examples of gaffes and instances of low energy during private meetings — ignited backlash from Democrats in Congress, allies in the media, and the White House, who portrayed the article as nothing more than “false” narratives. Now President Biden’s closest advisors are firing back. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was direct, telling Fox News Digital, “The article was BS.” “The president is utterly on his game,” she added. “He is the wisest, most knowledgeable person in the room.  He asks the toughest questions and has the keenest insights on the complex questions brought to him. He is sharp, thoughtful and wise.” Fox News Digital contacted every member of the cabinet and many were quick to respond for this article. Earlier this year, a report from Biden’s own Department of Justice’s special counsel called him an “elderly man with a poor memory” at the end of an investigation into his mishandling of classified documents dating back to his Senate tenure, which ultimately saved him from having charges brought against him by Special Counsel Robert Hur. At 81, Biden is the oldest sitting president, and his critics say his age has caught up with him cognitively. If he is re-elected in November, he will be 86 when his second term ends. TRUMP RIPS BIDEN AS ‘INCOMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL’ IN DOCUMENT PROBE: DON’T WANT ‘THAT KIND OF EXONERATION’ Biden has been prone to gaffes going back to when he was vice president, but the frequency and nature of his verbal missteps in recent years appear to be more significant.  In May, Biden seemed to have a break with reality when he confused the timing of the COVID pandemic by a factor of years when he said, “And when I was vice president, things were kind of bad during the pandemic, and, what happened was Barack said to me: ‘Go to Detroit — and help fix it.’” The pandemic happened years after Biden’s time as vice president. The president has, on several occasions, referenced dead people as being alive. In 2022, at a White House event, Biden called out former Rep. Jackie Walorski during a speech, “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” Walorski had died in a car crash the previous month. At a campaign rally in February, Biden told the audience, “Right after I was elected, I went to a G7 meeting in southern England. And I sat down and said, ‘America is back!’ and Mitterand from Germany — I mean France — looked at me and said, ‘How long you back for?’” Mitterand was president from 1981 to 1995 and died in 1996. In 2021, Biden claimed he had spoken with the late German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who had died in 2017, while recalling past conversations during fundraising events.   Late Tuesday night, the Wall Street Journal published a report detailing instances in which the president has demonstrated a lack of clarity in private meetings with staff and members of Congress. Many of those who work most closely with the president are coming forward to say the Wall Street Journal got it all wrong. ‘NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE’: EX-WH DOCTOR RAISES ALARMS ON BIDEN’S MENTAL HEALTH AFTER BOMBSHELL REPORT Officials at the highest levels of government echoed Granholm’s sentiment, like Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “I’ve worked for President Biden for 22 years,” Blinken told Fox News Digital. “Now as then — in strategy discussions and in meetings with foreign leaders — his depth of knowledge, fluency with policy and politics and ability to cut to the chase and argue his case are exceptional. He’s invariably one step ahead of us.” BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH REINFORCED MENTAL ACUITY AND AGE CONCERNS, REPUBLICANS SAY Attorney General Merrick Garland vouched for the president’s mental acuity on domestic issues. “I have complete confidence in the president,” Garland said. “As a member of the president’s Cabinet and the National Security Council, I have consistently seen firsthand his ability to navigate issues of extraordinary complexity that are of the utmost importance to our national security. “I have also seen him tackle domestic policy issues, clearly and decisively guiding us through complicated questions to reach results that benefit the American people.” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also objected to the assertion that the president is in a state of mental decline, telling Fox News Digital in a statement, “Both in Washington and in meetings with world leaders around the globe — including during strenuous negotiations with President Xi — I’ve always seen President Biden to be extremely well-informed, in command of the facts and very effective in advancing American interests.” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pushed back on the narrative, too.  “I strongly disagree with the characterization in the story,” Mayorkas said. “I come fully prepared for my meetings with President Biden, knowing his questions will be detail-oriented, probing and exacting. In our exchanges, the president always draws upon our prior conversations and past events in analyzing the issues and reaching his conclusions.”  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin concurred with Mayorka’s assessment, saying, “As someone who has watched President Biden make tough national security decisions and seen his commitment to keeping our troops safe, I have nothing but total confidence in our commander-in-chief.” Gina Raimondo, the former Rhode Island governor and current commerce secretary, came out in full support of her boss, saying, “I’ve spent countless hours with President Biden, discussing everything from our strategic competition with China to the technical aspects of the CHIPS for America program, and in every conversation he’s been sharp, focused and insightful. I could not disagree more with the false portrayal of the president in that article. There is nobody I’d rather have leading our country today.” FOREIGN OUTLETS PULL NO PUNCHES OVER BIDEN ‘CONFUSION’ AND ‘RAGE’ AFTER SURPRISE PRESS CONFERENCE VA Secretary Denis McDonough also came to Biden’s defense. “President Biden is not only as sharp and incisive as ever, he’s holding VA accountable every day — he’s holding me accountable every day —

Hunter Biden trial enters day 5 after testimony from sister-in-law-turned-girlfriend: ‘Panicked’

WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden’s sister-in-law-turned-girlfriend, Hallie Biden, took the stand in the first son’s criminal trial on Thursday, walking the jury through the ex-couple’s use of crack cocaine and events surrounding the disappearance of Hunter’s Cobra Colt .38. “It was a terrible experience I went through, and I was embarrassed and ashamed. … I regret that period of my life,” Hallie Biden told the court on Thursday about her use of crack cocaine.  Hallie Biden is Beau Biden’s widow, and she began a relationship with Hunter Biden in 2015, following her husband’s death from brain cancer. The pair had an on-and-off romantic relationship until about 2019, with Hunter Biden living in her home in Wilmington as well as the pair sharing a home in Annapolis, Maryland. She testified that Hunter Biden introduced her to crack cocaine in 2018, noting that she deeply regretted her dalliances with the addictive drug and has since become sober.  HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS DAY 4 AFTER WILD TESTIMONY FROM EXES ON RAMPANT DRUG USE, TRASHED HOTEL ROOMS Hallie Biden is a key figure in the trial: She was the one to toss Hunter Biden’s gun in a trash can outside a Wilmington supermarket, which led to police involvement ahead of the indictment last year. She also provided further insight into his addiction to crack cocaine during the year he purchased the gun. Prosecutors are working to prove that Hunter Biden lied on a federal firearm form, known as ATF Form 4473, in October 2018 when he ticked a box labeled “No” when asked if he is an unlawful user of a firearm or addicted to controlled substances. Hunter Biden purchased the gun from a store called StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington. HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS 3RD DAY WITH CROSS-EXAMINATION OF FBI AGENT Hunter Biden’s defense team does not deny the first son’s issues with addiction, which are well documented in his memoir, “Beautiful Things,” they instead argue that at the time of the gun purchase, Hunter did not consider himself a user of illegal substances.  Hunter Biden is facing charges of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. He pleaded not guilty in the case. The total maximum prison time for the three charges could be up to 25 years. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release. Hallie Biden was matter-of-fact in her responses to prosecutors on Thursday as they peppered her with questions about her relationship with Hunter Biden, how she learned Hunter Biden was a crack cocaine user, and the events surrounding her tossing out his gun in a panic in October 2018. “I found [crack] and googled it because I didn’t know what it was,” Hallie Biden told the court of the first time she saw the drug in her home. “[Hunter Biden] told me what it was, crack cocaine.” ‘LIKE A SON’: FORMER TOP BIDEN ADVISER WITH DEEP BUSINESS TIES TO CHINA SPOTTED INSIDE HUNTER BIDEN GUN TRIAL Hallie Biden, who testified under immunity, said she smoked crack cocaine and even accompanied Hunter Biden on drug deals. She became sober by August 2018. The widowed mother of two was joined in court by her husband, John Hopkins Anning, who she married just last weekend. She was grilled by both prosecutors and the defense team surrounding her discovery of Hunter Biden’s gun in the console of his truck on her property in Wilmington. She explained that after not seeing Hunter Biden for a while, he visited her home late Oct. 22, 2018, or early Oct. 23 and that he looked “tired, exhausted” and “could have been” on drugs.  After dropping her children off at school on the morning of Oct. 23, Hallie Biden went over to clean out Hunter Biden’s truck to rid it of any potential drugs or alcohol in an effort to help his sobriety. “Aside from trash and clothes, I found remnants of crack cocaine, paraphernalia – oh, and the gun, obviously,” she said.  Hallie Biden said she “panicked” when she found the gun, which was accompanied by a box of ammunition and a couple of loose bullets, and placed anything that appeared related to the firearm in a leather pouch she also found in the truck. She then placed the pouch in a shopping bag. HUNTER BIDEN’S WIFE LASHES OUT AT FORMER TRUMP AIDE DURING COURT APPEARANCE: ‘PIECE OF S—‘ “I panicked, and I wanted to get rid of them,” she said of the pistol and box of ammo. “I didn’t want him to hurt himself or [for] my kids to find it and hurt themselves.” She then drove to a nearby grocery store, called Janssen’s Market, and tossed the gun in a trash can located outside the store. The court was presented with surveillance footage of her dropping the bag containing the pouch and gun into the receptacle. She told the court that she was “flustered” after discovering the firearm and now realizes it was a “stupid idea” that she made when she “panicked.”  Hallie Biden walked the court through her messages and phone calls with Hunter Biden after she disposed of the gun.  “I was just going to pretend like it wasn’t me,” she said, before Hunter Biden discovered his firearm was missing and texted her: “Did you take that from me?” The first son apparently became angry with her actions regarding the gun, demanding she return to the market and “look for it.” She said that after her attempts to locate the pistol in the trash can, Hunter Biden told her to contact police and file a report. HUNTER BIDEN’S DRUG USE: WHAT THE PROSECUTION NEEDS TO PROVE AND WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW The jury was presented with video footage of her outside

Embattled Biden border order loaded with loopholes ‘to drive a truck through’: critics

President Biden on Tuesday introduced executive actions to limit asylum claims at the southern border, but emerging details of the move show that the block contains significant exceptions that critics say you can “drive a truck through.” “Today, I’m moving past Republican obstruction and using executive authorities available to me as president to do what I can on my own to address the border,” Biden said in a speech on Tuesday afternoon. The presidential proclamation will temporarily suspend the entry of migrants across the southern border once the number of average border encounters exceeds 2,500 a day over seven days, officials said. ‘IT IS INSULTING’: BIDEN BORDER ORDER TAKES HEAT FROM DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS That will stay in effect until 14 days after there has been a seven-day average of less than 1,500 encounters along the border. It is accompanied by an interim final rule from the departments of Homeland Security and Justice. That rule will also apply a higher standard migrants must meet for initial asylum screenings. The move brought criticism from Democrats as well as Republicans and a threat of a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). However, the rule comes with a series of significant exceptions. In addition to not applying to legal immigrants, it also does not apply to unaccompanied children or to those judged to be “victims of severe forms of trafficking.” It also doesn’t apply to those who schedule an appointment on the CBP One app at a port of entry, where about 1,500 enter each day. There is also an exception for those who are allowed to enter “based on the totality of the circumstances,” which includes urgent humanitarian or law enforcement considerations. BIDEN ORDER TO BLOCK MOST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHEN CROSSINGS SURGE AS ELECTION NEARS Finally, it allows for the entry of noncitizens “due to operational considerations that warrant permitting the noncitizen to enter.” Those exceptions sparked additional concern from Republicans, who were already sour on the order and believed it was too little too late. “The exceptions to Biden’s new EO are broad enough to drive a truck through,” Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “So, the message to the cartels and the smugglers is you have the greenest of green lights to smuggle trafficked children into this country, into various forms of servitude, slavery, sex trafficking, labor trafficking, other forms of abuse, imprisonment and torture,” former senior Trump White House official Stephen Miller said in response to the exception for unaccompanied minors. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas challenged that assertion on “Your World” when he was asked by Neil Cavuto if this was a green light for smugglers. He called the cartels “unscrupulous.” “They exploit individuals of all different types of vulnerabilities. We are taking it to the cartels. We exempted unaccompanied children from this asylum bar because of the compelling humanitarian picture they present,” he said. The Biden administration has also embraced those exceptions as a way in which the order differs from the Trump-era use of the authority used by Biden. ‘IT IS INSULTING’: BIDEN BORDER ORDER TAKES HEAT FROM DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS “The action will not ban people based on their religion. It will not separate kids from their mothers. There are also narrow humanitarian exceptions to the bar on asylum, including for those facing an acute medical emergency or an imminent extreme threat to life or safety. And the Trump administration’s actions did not include these exceptions,” a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the action tightens policy for when officials seek to remove an illegal immigrant quickly under “expedited removal.” They previously asked each migrant if they feared persecution in their home country, and if they said yes, they would be given a “credible fear” screening. Now agents will no longer ask individually but will provide general notice to migrants and be on the lookout for verbal and nonverbal signs that someone may be fearful of being deported. Behaviors officials are told to look out for include explicit statements expressing fear from migrants but can also self-harm and “non-verbal actions,” including hysteria, shaking, unusual behavior, “incoherent” speech patterns and an “unusual level of silence.” The guidance says that if an agent determines that a migrant is showing such a fear, they must first provide them with information and refer them to an asylum officer.  As a result, signs will be posted in detention centers that say: “If you are hungry or thirsty, need medical care, fear persecution or torture if removed from the United States, have been a victim of abuse, have been a victim of a sexual assault, have witnessed a crime, tell an Officer. Your claim will be heard. You may be referred to a medical professional, an asylum officer, or other law enforcement professional.” Translations will be made available in Arabic, Bengali, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, K’iche’/Kxlantzij, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Turkish, and Vietnamese. The guidance also says that a video explaining the circumstances should be played every two hours on a daily basis.  Conservative critics said the guidance shows that, despite the rollout, little will change. “The guidance basically spells out that if an illegal alien claims fear they have to be referred to the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) rubber stamp without question, which means nothing really changes, except CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection  and ICE doesn’t ask them out the gate if they are scared to return home,” RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE) and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation told Fox News Digital. “Traffickers and cartels are sure to quickly adapt to this political gimmick. They will immediately instruct everyone to claim fear immediately upon arrest instead of waiting to be asked.”

Ayodhya voters face online abuse for BJP’s crushing defeat in Faizabad

After the candidate of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) lost badly to the Dalit candidate of the Samajwadi Party in Faizabad, followers of Hindutva have started a hate campaign against the people of Ayodhya.

1 killed, 42 students rescued after fire breaks out at private institute in Pune

The fire department recovered the charred body of the watchman. Around 42 female students present on the ground floor of the building were safely rescued by the fire department team.

Pune car crash case: Accused teen’s father, grandfather among five booked in abetment of suicide case

Local Businessman DS Kature had registered a complaint against the Pune car accident accused person’s father, grandfather and three others holding them responsible for the suicide of his son who died in January this year.

George Clooney called White House to complain about Biden’s criticism of ICC and defend wife’s work: report

Actor George Clooney reportedly called one of President’s Biden’s top aides last month to complain about the president’s critique of the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a case his wife, lawyer Amal Clooney, worked on.  As first reported by The Washington Post, the Academy Award-winning actor called Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president, to push back on Biden’s dismissal of arrest warrants sought by the ICC targeting Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.  Clooney was particularly irked the Biden administration was initially open to slapping the ICC with sanctions, given his wife could be potentially subjected to penalties, according to the report.   The report comes more than a week before Clooney, a major supporter of Biden, is scheduled to appear at a fundraiser for Biden’s re-election campaign June 15 in Los Angeles.  ISRAELI TROOPS UNCOVER HAMAS TUNNEL ENTRANCE INSIDE CHILD’S ROOM IN RAFAH Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and representatives for Clooney seeking comment.  The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced May 20 he was seeking to charge Netanyahu, Gallant, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and two other top Hamas leaders with war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Khan consulted a panel of top legal experts, including human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, before seeking warrants.  Biden condemned the ICC’s decision to pursue arrest warrants as “outrageous.”  “And let me be clear: Whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said. “We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.” SPAIN SEEKS TO JOIN SOUTH AFRICA’S CASE AT TOP UN COURT ACCUSING ISRAEL OF GENOCIDE IN GAZA Earlier this week, 42 House Democrats voted with Republicans on a bill to sanction the ICC. Senate Republicans are pushing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.   Khan has warned that attempts to interfere with the ICC’s work would be an offense under its founding treaty, the Rome Statute. However, the warning may not carry much weight because world powers, including the U.S., Israel, China and Russia, aren’t members of the court and don’t recognize its jurisdiction. Israeli leaders fiercely deny they have committed crimes, saying they are defending their nation and abiding by international law. Because Israel doesn’t recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, even if judges were to issue warrants, there is no immediate prospect of Netanyahu and Gallant being arrested anytime soon. A decision on whether to issue warrants is expected to take several weeks. The legal bar for approving warrants is relatively low. Judges need to find “reasonable grounds to believe” that crimes outlined in Khan’s request were committed. In the past, judges have generally approved such requests. The latest Gaza war began Oct. 7, when Hamas-led militants crossed into Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostages.  The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not distinguish between Hamas fighters and civilians, alleges Israel’s military has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians since October.   Israel has disputed these figures and accused Hamas of operating in heavily populated civilian areas.  The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Number of new gun owners since 2020 election surged to equal population of Florida: report

The number of new gun owners in America exercising their Second Amendment rights has surged — equaling the population of Florida since 2020. According to a report by the National Sports Shooting Foundation (NSSF), the number of people who became first-time gun owners since 2020 has reportedly grown to over 22.3 million people, or the population of Florida. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mark Oliva, the managing director of public affairs for the NSSF, attributed the surge of new owners to COVID-era lockdowns, soft-on-crime prosecutors who forced residents across the fifty-states to realize that they could not always rely on law enforcement and the Biden administration’s “overbearing regulations.” “Over the last several years, there have been a significant increase of Americans who have chosen to exercise their Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms,” Oliva said. “That’s been for several reasons, including concerns for personal safety, rising crime, the refusal of some prosecutors to not lock up criminals and the attacks by the Biden administration to diminish rights through overbearing regulations.” FAST-GROWING GUN GROUP ENHANCES INSURANCES COVERAGE TO PROTECT MEMBERS AMID BLUE STATE 2A CRACK-DOWNS Midway through 2020, first-time gun owners accounted for approximately 40% of buyers, according to the NSSF, citing retailers. The “normal” is usually somewhere around 20- to 24%, they said. In 2020, the NSSF said, there were approximately 8.4 million new first-time gun owners. In 2021, the initial surge of COVID-era buyers subsided, with the number totaling about 5.4 million first-time gun buyers. The percentage dropped to around 30% of all buyers.  In 2022, it totaled approximately 4.2 million, and 2023 actually rose just a bit to 4.3 million, according to industry data.  WATCH: LAWMAKERS INVOKE HUNTER BIDEN, SECOND AMENDMENT IN DEFENDING GUN LAWS The 2024 figures aren’t finalized yet, but so far there have been just north of 6 million, the NSSF said, citing the total FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) verifications processed for the sale of a firearm. Oliva highlighted the impact that the new gun owners could have on the upcoming elections. “These are gun owners who, prior to buying a gun, didn’t consider what this right meant to their lives and personal freedom,” he said. “That will be a consideration in this election. This could be a factor in the upcoming election as people take into account the government’s willingness to infringe upon their rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”