Gaston Glock, the Renowned Creator of a Widely Used Firearm, Passes Away at 94

Gaston Glock, the Austrian engineer who created the Glock handgun, has passed away at the age of 94. The company, Glock, released a statement expressing that his legacy would continue to live on. The Glock handgun has been widely used by armed forces, security personnel, gun owners, and unfortunately, criminals across the globe. Its popularity was further enhanced through its frequent appearances in Hollywood movies, particularly in blockbusters like The Matrix Reloaded. Despite the immense success of his creation, Glock was known as a reclusive billionaire who preferred to spend most of his time at his lakefront estate in Austria. He seldom made headlines, with notable exceptions being the publication of a book about his business in 2012, his divorce from his first wife in 2011, and an incident where a business associate attempted to have him killed in the late 1990s. In that particular incident, Glock fought back against the hired attacker, a professional wrestler armed with a rubber mallet, and managed to knock him out. The company praised Gaston Glock for leading the Glock Group and revolutionizing the world of small arms, establishing the brand as the global leader in the handgun industry. Born in 1929, Glock studied mechanical engineering in college before founding a consumer goods company near Vienna. In response to a call from the Austrian army to upgrade their pistols, Glock expanded his business into military supplies and developed a lightweight 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun with a capacity of 18 rounds. This firearm garnered a dedicated following among military and police personnel worldwide. Paul Barrett, the author of Glock: The Rise of America's Gun, likened Glock to Google in terms of its impact on modern civilian handguns, serving as the pioneering brand that defines the product category. According to Forbes, as of 2021, Glock's personal wealth was estimated at $1.1 billion. The Glock handgun also made its presence felt in US pop culture, becoming a line in the 1998 film US Marshals and being referenced by American rappers Snoop Dogg and Wu-Tang Clan in their lyrics. The weapon was additionally featured in popular action films such as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and The Matrix Reloaded. However, Glock faced criticism from gun-control advocates who argued that the weapon's concealability and high ammunition capacity made it dangerous. The firearm also courted controversy when it was discovered that Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator, was found hiding with a Glock in a hole in the ground in 2003. In 2018, a US Marine Corps veteran who owned a Glock killed 12 people, including a law enforcement officer, in a crowded bar in California. The veteran possessed an extended magazine for the Glock, which is illegal in the state. Furthermore, a US gun company faced backlash for producing a customized Glock pistol that resembled a children's Lego toy. Glock rarely engaged with criticism from gun control advocates and declined to participate with other firearms manufacturers in signing a voluntary gun control agreement with the US government in 2000. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.