(RepublicanJournal.org) – Entrepreneur, engineer, and gun designer Gaston Glock, who helped make the popular pistol a household name, has died. There’s no word on the cause of his death, but the Austrian billionaire lived a long life, passing away at 94. He single-handedly redefined the small firearm, leaving behind a legacy that is sure to continue in his wake.
The manufacturer’s website states that Glock found his calling in 1980 when he developed the GLOCK GmbH pistol in response to the Austrian government’s call for a redesign in its military service handgun.
The innovator was willing to accept nothing less than perfection, determined to reimagine the weapon as opposed to simply improving upon older designs. He was the first to use an injection molded polymer for the gun’s receiver, revolutionizing the manufacturing process and improving the cost-effectiveness of production.
The new design was also composed of fewer parts, just 33. Even more exciting, the polymer Glock used to improve the gun’s manufacturing offered an additional benefit by absorbing some of the energy the weapon created when fired, reducing the recoil and making it easier to handle.
Glock also improved the pistol’s safety, adding mechanisms that reduced the chances of unintentional discharges. The design was an overwhelming success, becoming the Austrian military’s choice handgun before moving on to the world market.
The GLOCK brand became an international sensation, further popularized by its notable presence in the US film and music industries. Glock’s estimated worth in 2021 was roughly $1.1 billion.
BBC News shares that Glock led a private life, managing to stay out of the headlines for the most part. One exception was in the late 1990s, when the entrepreneur was 70 years old, and one of his business associates hired a professional wrestler to beat him to death with a rubber mallet. The engineer fought for his life, knocking out the attacker.
Glock leaves behind his wife, one daughter, and two sons.
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