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The Ruger Mini-14 never gained much traction as a military rifle, but instead was adopted by police forces all over the world, including France. The Mousqueston A.M.D. rifle—a nearly 30-year-old variant of the Ruger Mini-14—stands for “carbine intermediate defense weapon” and is France's version of the Mini-14. A magazine-fed, semi-automatic rifle, it has served France through many tumultuous times. Similar to American versions of the Mini-14, the Mousqueton A.M.D. differs slightly by having a finer detailed stock, as well as the receiver markings located underneath the wood line so they were not immediately visible. Today, the collecting public in France can own the Mousqueton A.M.D., but only as an Arme Neutralisée—or deactivated weapon. For more on the Ruger Mousqueton A.M.D. Rifle, watch this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV.
In 2024, former owner Gregg Ritz purchased Thompson/Center Arms. Now the company has introduced a modern take on its classic Contender/Encore concept: the ENCORE PROHunter.
While it's certainly a saturated marketplace these days, the AR-15 has never been more popular with American firearm enthusiasts, and many manufacturers are continuing to feed the need with new options loaded with new features.
Like any hobby or pastime that is in any way even vaguely related to machines or technology, firearms attract a (possibly) disproportionate number of “right-brained,” STEM-oriented personalities who like numbers.
Slingshots are fun, but they can also be a legitimate backup defensive tool—in 2023, a 13-year-old Michigan boy saved his 8-year-old sister from being kidnapped by using a $3 slingshot to fire a marble and a rock at the assailant, striking him in the chest and head.