Gaston Glock

Gaston Glock (born 19 July 1929) is an Austrian engineer, and founder of the firearms company Glock.

Manufacturing

Glock began as a manufacturer of curtain rods in the 1960s, and knives for the Austrian military in the 1970s. He had not designed or manufactured a firearm until he was 52 years old. He was already an expert in polymers as a result of his previous business ventures. In 1980 he bought an injection-moulding machine to manufacture handles and sheaths for the field knives he was making for the Austrian army in his garage workshop. His earliest employees were from the camera industry and were experts in producing polymer components. His first pistol took one year to produce from the design and concept stage to production, and he applied for an Austrian patent in April 1981 for the pistol known as the Glock 17.

Personal life

Glock married Helga Glock in 1958, and they co-founded the family business in 1963. They divorced in 2011 and have been in litigation since. An unauthorized book about Gaston Glock's life and his company, titled Glock: The Rise of America's Gun, was published in 2012. Glock supports different charities in Austria, having donated over one million euros. He also was quoted for giving funds to the Freedom Party of Austria.

Murder attempt

In July 1999, Glock's tax advisor Charles Ewert hired a French mercenary to murder Glock with a hammer in a car park in an apparent attempt to cover up embezzlement of millions from the Glock company. Although Glock's injuries included seven head wounds and the loss of about a litre of blood, Glock was able to fend off the attack by striking the hitman twice. The hired killer, 67-year-old Jacques Pêcheur, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for the attack. Charles Ewert was sentenced to 20 years as a result of Pêcheur's testimony.