Gaston Glock, Inventor of Namesake Pistol, Dies At 94

Gaston Glock, the inventor of the ubiquitous gun bearing his name, died on Wednesday (Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, in Manila). He was 94, as reported by Ramishah Maruf for CNN.

Gaston Glock founded the company in 1963. I Photo: Glock Facebook

The Glock company announced his death on its website without giving a cause or other details.

The Glock is universal in mainstream culture, used in over 65% of US federal, state, and local agencies, according to the company, and a staple reference in media, movies, books, and songs.

Glock had his start in Austria as an engineer. He founded the Glock company in 1963, according to the company's website. He had limited experience with guns, inventing the pistol in a metalworking shop in his garage where he manufactured knives and curtain rods.

He developed the semi-automatic Glock service pistol for the Austrian military in the early 1980s.

The Glock was lightweight, made of a nylon-based polymer frame instead of traditional steel, while also carrying up to 17 rounds of ammunition. But its most controversial aspect was perhaps its "safe-action" feature, designed to be ready to fire at a moment's notice.

That also meant the gun was more prone to accidental and rash shootings, gun safety advocates claimed.

"Mr. Glock designed his pistol with three internal safeties — the trigger, firing pin, and drop safeties — to ensure that the pistol would perform consistently while providing the best protection against accidental discharge," the site said.

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