One of the underpinnings of many preppers' operating model was "we'll use the MREs to wait for law enforcement to collapse and then use ammo to become king of t

One of the underpinnings of many preppers' operating model was "we'll use the MREs to wait for law enforcement to collapse and then use ammo to become king of the hill in post-apocalyptic society". They weren't preparing for all apocalypses, just the ones that would let them use military strength to become unchallenged fief lords. In any scenario where law enforcement is still operating, their stashes are of little use.