Prepping the next generation: Inside the Florida survivalist group teaching children as young as nine how to fire AK ...

As many as three million Americans now regard themselves as 'preppers' - people preparing for the end of the world as we know itThe North Florida Survival Group claims it can teach you and your family everything you need to know to survival
Members include children as young as nine, who are taught to fire guns and go on training exercises
The group's leader says it is open to everyone except 'Socialists, Marxists, Nazis or Progressives’

By David Mccormack

PUBLISHED: 17:10 GMT, 22 February 2013 | UPDATED: 18:49 GMT, 22 February 2013

Growing fears that the end of the world is nigh due to either a natural disaster, terrorism strike or even a zombie apocalypse have sparked a sharp spike in interest in survivalism.

As many as three million Americans now fall into the category dubbed 'preppers' - people who are making detailed plans for the end of the world as we know it.

As their numbers grow so too does a booming industry of organizations ready to help teach wannabe survivalists the skills that could suddenly become very necessary in the event of a major catastrophic event.

Members of the North Florida Survival Group, including young children, wait with their rifles before heading out to perform enemy contact drills

Brianna, 9, of the North Florida Survival Group waits with her rifle as she prepares to join adults and other children in performing enemy contact drills

The North Florida Survival Group perform a land navigation drill during a field training exercise in Old Town, Florida

When's home time? A young boy sits on a child's toy and sulks because his sister got to carry the rifle that he wanted

Prepping the next generation: Leader Jim Foster teaches the younger members of the group how to survive in the wild

One such organization catering for the growing number of 'preppers' is the North Florida Survival Group, which claims it can teach you and your family everything you need to know to survive including how to live off the land, how to purify water and how to handle heavy duty firearms including AK-47s.

The group is the brainchild of Jim Foster, 57, a retired police officer, who claims he has experienced a significant increase in interest from the public since the horrific massacre at a school in Sandy Hook late last year.

According to the group’s website it now has over 200 members and that is growing with about one person signing up per day, says Foster.

As these photographs of a recent training exercise show, it isn’t just adult males taking part. Concerned parents are bringing along their children - such as 9-year-old Brianna - so they too can learn valuable skills such as how to fire an AK-47.

Brianna, 9, of the North Florida Survival Group carries an AK-47 rifle from the group leader's truck before heading out for a field training exercise

Survival of the fittest: Brianna, 9, hands an AK-47 rifle to Jim Foster, 57, the group's leader

The North Florida Survival Group is open to everyone except 'socialists, marxists, nazis or progressives'

Like father, like son: A member group puts a mask on his son as they gear up to perform enemy contact drills

The North Florida Survival Group teaches families everything they need to know to survive including how to live off the land, how to purify water and how to handle firearms

The group passionately supports the right of U.S. citizens to bear arms and on its website it states that it aims to teach ‘patriots to survive in order to protect and defend our Constitution against all enemy threats’.

‘I am an American who believes our freedoms are in jeapordy (sic),’ explains Foster on his website.

‘We want people to know that we cannot depend on our government to take care of us in a catastrophy (sic). In fact, if our government is intent on moving us to socialism, they may even cause the catastrophy! (sic).

A young boy wears the North Florida Survival Group's t-shirt which carries the message: 'I 'm willing to die to defend my 2nd amendment rights. Are you willing to die trying to take them from me?'

Family fun: An adult group member shows one of the younger members how to operate the magazine release of an SKS rifle

Group leader Jim Foster, center, critiques the performance of group members during an enemy contact drill

Growing fears that the end of the world is nigh due to either a natural disaster, terrorism strike or even a zombie apocalypse have sparked a sharp spike in interest in survivalism

A member of the North Florida Survival Group carries an AR-15 rifle as he takes the point position in performing enemy contact drills during a field training exercise

'People, your family needs you to be strong, be ready and be able to survive anything that comes our way. We're here to help teach you exactly that, how to survive!’

Foster says the group is open to everyone except ‘socialists, marxists, nazis or progressives’

Training is free, although members are asked to supply their own gear.

So if you fancy spending your  weekends conducting field training exercises in a tactical harness this might be the group for you. You never know when the training might come in handy.

A member of the North Florida Survival Group helps his daughter put on a tactical harness

Jim Foster, 57, a retired police officer and leader of the North Florida Survival Group, radios group members to check their status

Training is free but members of the North Florida Survival Group are asked to supply their own gear

A group of children, all members of the North Florida Survival Group, walk through a wooded area during a field training exercise

Stand your ground: A member of the group raises his AR-15 rifle as he takes part in an enemy contact drill

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PHOTOS: Survivalist group teaches 9-year-old girl how to shoot AK-47

REUTERS

Brianna, 9, of the North Florida Survival Group hands an AK-47 rifle to Jim Foster, 57, the group's leader, before heading out to conduct enemy contact drills during a field training exercise in Old Town, Florida.

If a catastrophic event like a natural disaster, terrorist attack or nuclear holocaust threatens the survival of the United States, one group says they will be ready.

Shocking photos out today show children as young as nine learning how to operate AK-47s and teach them how "to survive in order to protect and defend our Constitution against all enemy threats."

PHOTOS: FLORIDA PREPPERS TEACH KIDS SURVIVAL SKILLS

The group says they will train almost anyone who is interested including Brianna, 9, who is pictured holding a variety of guns.

With more than 200 members, the group is growing larger everyday according to its leader Jim Foster, 57, a retired police officer currently living in Gainesville, Florida.

The group, which does not charge its members, only requires volunteers to bring their own gear.

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Horsemeat scandal: Scottish Government sets up expert group to learn from food ... - Scottish Daily Record

28 Feb 2013 16:58 THE group will examine what lessons can be taken away from the horsemeat revelations.

Michael Matheson

AN expert group has been set up by the Scottish Government to consider what can be learned from the recent horse meat scandal.

The group was established as a consultation is launched on the responsibilities and functions of a new independent food safety body, Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said.

He made the announcement as he updated Holyrood on progress made into uncovering the extent of the horse meat scandal in Scotland.

Local authorities were asked to withhold use of all frozen beef products pending further investigation after a frozen burger supplied to Cumbernauld High School in North Lanarkshire was found to contain horse DNA last week.

Mr Matheson told MSPs that by the end of the day all but one inspection of premises manufacturing meat products would be completed, with no evidence to date of horse meat food fraud discovered.

A group led by former chief vet Professor Jim Scudamore will consider any lessons learned from the scandal before the establishment of the food safety body, Mr Matheson said.

The group will include representatives from consumer protection, the meat industry, food retail and enforcement. It has been asked to recommend improvements in the food safety regime that can be made quickly, and will report before summer recess.

"We have the opportunity to learn from the present situation. The expert group I have announced today will identify any lessons we have learned from this horse meat scandal so that we can improve the food safety and standards regime in the future," Mr Matheson said.

A 12-week consultation on the new safety body has been launched.

The body, announced in June last year, will cover food safety and standards, nutrition, labelling and meat inspection following the UK Government's decision to reduce the scope of the UK-wide Food Standards Agency.

Mr Matheson said: "The scandal has made clear that a single independent public body should have clear responsibility for all aspects of food safety and standards. Our vision for Scotland's new food body is that its primary focus will be consumer protection. It will make sure food in Scotland is safe to eat and it will improve the diet and nutrition of the people of Scotland.

"The Government has considered carefully the implications of the horse meat scandal as part of the development of this consultation. Creating a new body and passing legislation takes time. People in Scotland rightly want to see improvements now."

Mr Matheson said a second expert group, to be led by Scotland Food and Drink chairman Ray Jones, has also been set up by Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead.

This will explore traceability, provenance and assurance associated with primary red meat production, and will also provide recommendations to Parliament before the summer recess.

Labour's Richard Simpson welcomed the establishment of a new body separate from Government and from the food industry.

But he questioned why it took so long to bring forward a consultation on the body, given that its establishment was recommended in a report published in April last year, and that Mr Matheson stated in June that it would be taken forward.

The minister's statement last year "only now led to the consultation for another 12 weeks, and two expert groups", Mr Simpson said.

"One is left with the firm impression that action is only now occurring with a great deal more speed because of the fact we have a crisis. Can the minister guarantee that the public can have confidence in the intervening period (before the new body is established)?"

Mr Matheson said: "I think the public can have great confidence in the way the Food Standards Agency in Scotland have performed over the last couple of weeks in relation to the horse meat scandal, and they can continue to have confidence as we move towards creating the new body. That is why we should take our time to do that in a managed way."

Conservative MSP Nanette Milne welcomed the expert group to learn from the scandal.

In order "to avoid this episode happening again, and in terms of food safety, we have to share the outcomes of group's findings with all the nations affected by the scandal", she said.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone said: "Three years after changes to the UK-wide FSA, we're finally seeing the Scottish Government getting to grips with the need to create a joined-up food agency with a wide remit and real powers.

"Today I suggested to ministers that the experts they seek advice from include organisations like Nourish, Fife Diet and the Federation of Small Businesses.

"There is a danger we continue to allow our food supplies to be controlled by supermarkets and big business whose traditional focus has been profit rather than nutrition or provenance."

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