Gaston Glock, the Austrian engineer and designer of arguably the most famous semi-automatic handgun of all time, the Glock, died on May 26, aged 94.
Glock, who was born in Vienna on July 19, 1929, spent his formative engineering years as a locksmith, before founding a company in 1963 to manufacture curtain-rod accessories. A scant 10 years later, in 1973, Glock unveiled the first version of his namesake pistol, ushering in a design revolution that changed the face of handguns and, in many ways, defended the American Second Amendment right to bear arms.
The Glock 17, as it came to be known, was a simple yet hugely effective semi-automatic pistol. Its popularity was lightning fast, and within 15 years, the gun had become the sidearm of choice among police forces on both sides of the Atlantic. Its sleek, lightweight design was easy to carry and easy to use, and the 17 round clip was far larger than anything else on the market. The Glock 17 also featured a polymer body rather than the usual metal – a design decision which substantially lowered both the cost and the weight of the weapon.
The Glock 17 quickly became one of the most popular handguns in the world, with an estimated market share of around 65 percent in the US. It has become a staple of the US military and even made its way into popular culture, featuring in countless movies, TV shows and even on the world’s biggest stages.
The success of the Glock 17 made Gaston Glock a wealthy man and opened the door to a number of other designs, which Glock’s company continues to produce. While he will certainly be remembered fondly by shooting enthusiasts in the US, he will also be remembered for the way the Glock 17 flooded the world with its deadly efficiency.
