Gaston Glock Dead
BY Herschel Smith
12 months ago
Gaston Glock, the man responsible for developing the namesake weapon, died on Wednesday at the age of 94.
Glock developed the famous handgun in the 1980s, when the Austrian military was looking for a new, innovative weapon. Until then, the Glock company had made military knives and consumer goods including curtain rods.
Glock assembled a team of firearms experts and came up with the Glock 17, a lightweight semi-automatic gun largely made of plastic. The revolutionary design – with a frame made of a high-strength, nylon-based polymer and only the slide made of metal – beat several other companies’ blueprints and secured his upstart outfit the contract.
The easily assembled weapon became a global hit, with the Austrian winning loyal followings among police and military across the world.
The Glock has been referenced in numerous films and rap songs, including Snoop Dogg’s “Protocol” and Wu-Tang Clan’s “Da Glock.”
U.S. soldiers found toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein hiding with a Glock in a hole in the ground in 2003. They later presented that weapon to U.S. President George W. Bush.
Glock faced criticism from gun-control advocates who complained that he popularized powerful guns and made them easy to conceal and hold more ammunition.
Glock himself was reclusive, rarely granting interviews, and shunned public debate. In 2000, he refused to join other weapons manufacturers in signing a voluntary gun control deal with the United States.
At the age of 70, he survived an attempt on his life when an investment broker who managed his assets hired a former wrestler to attack him with a rubber hammer, a court heard.
Glock had grown suspicious of how the broker was managing his affairs and had flown to Luxembourg to confront him, lawyers said. He suffered seven blows to the head but fended off the assault. The broker, Charles Ewert, and the attacker, Jacques Pecheur, were both jailed.
His 49-year-old marriage with Helga Glock ended in divorce in 2011 and the pair embarked on a lengthy legal battle over alimony. Soon after, he married his second wife, Kathrin, more than 50 years his junior.
He owned a lakefront mansion and a state-of-the-art equestrian sports center in the province of Carinthia, where celebrities showed up for parties.
With divorce, alimony disputes, theft and attempted murder, it sounds like he lived a troubled life. But there’s no question as to the fact that his gun is ubiquitous.
I don’t own or shoot Glocks or any other striker fired handgun.
On December 28, 2023 at 4:59 am, Joe Blow said:
The man invented plastic fantastic tupperware (or at least commercialized it). He belongs in the shrine with John Moses and Eugene.
On December 28, 2023 at 6:34 am, Bill Buppert said:
An engineering marvel.
Hail to the king.
On December 28, 2023 at 9:43 am, Stephen Arthur jr said:
My Colt 1908 Vest Pocket Hammerless, as well as the Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless are both striker fired, and both John Browning designs
On December 28, 2023 at 10:38 am, george 1 said:
IMHO the genius of the Glock pistol is the design simplicity. The gun can be completely disassembled, all of the components replaced and the weapon reassembled in about five minutes. I am not aware of any other pistol that has that feature. Our beloved AR15 is similar in simplicity.
The pistol is also quite forgiving of abuse and neglect and is one of the more reliable platforms available today. This has been proven many times by testing. The Glock is not perfect. No gun is but you have to give it and its’ designer due credit.
On December 28, 2023 at 1:02 pm, Longbow said:
“I don’t own or shoot Glocks or any other striker fired handgun.”
Argggghh! Uhhhhhggg…..! Oh my goodness! You’re just not with the Program, are you? Don’t you now you can’t be Tacit-Cool unless you own and shoot at least one Glock 19?
On December 29, 2023 at 7:01 am, Latigo Morgan said:
R.I.P. Gaston
I tried the Glock handgun a few times, but it never did anything to instill the desire to own and carry one. Anything I carry on my body will have either a safety or a heavy, long first trigger pull.
Other folks like them, and that’s fine with me. I don’t care what you carry, as long as you don’t sit down at the dinner table with me unarmed.
On December 29, 2023 at 12:59 pm, Roger J said:
Glock assembled a design team, several of whom came from other gun firms. It was the members of that team who actually designed the pistol. But I must give Gaston Glock credit for the initial concept. And probably his name is on the patents (I haven’t checked). An inventor myself, I know that not everyone listed on the patent actually assisted with the invention. Bosses love to add their name and display the patent first page over the desk.
On December 29, 2023 at 1:44 pm, Archer said:
I don’t own or shoot Glocks or any other striker fired handgun.
I thought you had a Springfield XD in .45 ACP.
Or am I confusing you with someone else?