The inventor of the Glock pistol died on December 27th. He became successful worldwide with the weapon. But he also repeatedly made the headlines in his private life.
Ferlach – The Austrian army and most of the American police are equipped with his weapons. The pistol was developed around 1980 by engineer Gaston Glock from Austria. Now he died on December 27, 2023 at the age of 94, as did his company on theirs website announces.
Gaston Glock developed the legendary Glock 17 pistol in 1980
Gaston Glock, born in 1929, worked as a plastics engineer. With Glock KG, later Glock GmbH, founded in 1963, he had been supplying the Austrian armed forces with training hand grenades and machine gun belts since the 1970s. In 1980 he developed a new weapon for them.
In consultation with weapons experts, he ultimately designed and patented the “Glock 17” pistol, which was the starting point for later variations.
In contrast to other weapons of the time, this was inexpensive to produce and had little wear and tear. The USA, where gun laws are more relaxed, also appreciates this. A subsidiary was founded there in 1985. The majority of American police authorities and the FBI are now equipped with the weapon. But some killing sprees are also linked to the pistol.
Headlines and divorce of the Glock inventor
Although the entrepreneur lived quite reclusively, he made the headlines several times. In 1999, he survived an assassination attempt in Luxembourg that was carried out on behalf of a former business partner. He had also sued organizations that were critical of his business, such as Amnesty International. He was last mentioned in the video behind the Ibiza affair in 2017. According to politician Heinz Christian Strache, Glock secretly donated to the FPÖ, which the latter denied.
Glock leaves behind three children from his first marriage to his wife Helga. After the marriage broke up, his ex-wife unsuccessfully sued him for $500 million. In 2011 he married Kathrin Glock, 51 years his junior, who also joined his business.
Gaston Glock's fortune was recently estimated at 1.5 billion euros. “Just do it. “Make it perfect,” is the company’s motto. “His life’s work will be continued in his spirit,” the company wrote in his obituary.
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