A lot of preppers are getting the equipment, but depending on how severe their stance of the gov't is, a lot of them have it, know how to use it, many previously had a license and let it expire, but do not feel safe giving the gov't more of their personal info. With these new cheap HT models out there (which I have one), it is now cheap and easy for both the preppers to stock up, and to introduce a new method of communication to the younger generation who think texting is the only form of communication.
At the local gun shows, the local ARC's also show up. It is easy to spot them, just look for a few antennas in one area (and hope its not a bunch of CB antennas, which are still popular here). I haven't seen them with a table inside, but its usually 10-30 people hanging out chatting to one side of the parking lot, and have a sign on one of the larger vehicles with their club name.
Once you understand the issues we face today, guns and radios go hand in hand. If the preppers are right and it hits the fan anytime soon, those who try to distance hams from guns will be the ones in trouble. What good is a gun without a radio to know how close the danger lurks, and what good is a radio without a gun if that danger you heard on the airwaves shows up at your door?
So the question isn't how do we separate the 2, the real question is why isn't there more events combining the 2?