Most people had no interest in AR-15 type rifles in the 1960s and 1970s. It was considered a (GASP!) Plastic Mouse gun!
Then in the mid 1980s the anti-gun radicals made an attempt to ban those rifles and the public suddenly took notice. After all, the anti gun radicals always said they “ONLY wanted to register and ban handguns! Rifles will not be affected!”
The anti-gun radicals and the anti-gun news media then made the AR-15 style rifle the most desirable rifle on the market.
When first introduced to the M-16 in the mid sixties, the firearms instructor made sure to convince us that we were looking at a weapon, and not a Mattel toy. I have often wondered how the image got changed to “A scary assault rifle”.
Your post kinda clears that up.
From Wikipedia:
Olympic was the first to introduce features now seen as commonplace on AR-15 rifles. It was one of the first companies to produce free floating aluminum hand guards, pistol caliber conversions, and AR-15-based pistols. Olympic manufactured many AR-15s in calibers other than the standard 5.56×45mm. Olympic was the first in the industry to offer AR-15-style firearms in 9×19mm and .45 ACP, 10mm Auto, 7.62×39mm, and the Winchester Super Short Magnum cartridges.In February 2013, Olympic Arms announced that the company would no longer sell its products to New York law enforcement officers or agencies, following the state's passage of an assault weapons ban.[6][verification needed] “After more than 40 years of business, it is with great sorrow that we announce that February 28th, 2017 will be the last day of operation for Olympic Arms, Inc,” noted the company on social media, January 26, 2017. Despite that announcement, they continued to sell parts and fill orders in a limited capacity until 2020, when they finally ceased all operations.
I like it for its mechanical and shooting characteristics. I don’t recall liberal gum-flapping influencing my decision.