Austrian engineer and businessman Gaston Glock, who developed one of the world’s best-selling pistols, died on Wednesday at the age of 94.

Glock posted this on Facebook today. It seems Gaston Glock has passed away today at 94 years of age. pic.twitter.com/71SJXiaeEZ

— Military Arms (@MAC_Arms) December 27, 2023

He became a billionaire and a legend thanks to the pistols that bear his name and, according to Forbes, his fortune amounted to $1.1 billion in 2021.

He laid the foundations of his empire in the 1980s when the Austrian military was looking for a new, innovative weapon. Until then the Glock company manufactured military knives and equipment such as curtain rods. 

With the help of firearms experts, he developed the Glock 17, a lightweight semi-automatic pistol made of high-resilience polymer. Its revolutionary design stood out from the competition and earned Glock its first fat contract. Within a short time, the Glock pistol became a worldwide success.

“Get yourself a Glock and lose that nickel-plated s***y gun,” said Tommy Lee Jones in a scene from the 1988 film ‘US Marshals’. Glock pistols have been widely used by police officers in the US and beyond, and have been referenced in songs by US rappers such as Snoop Dogg’s ‘Protocol’ and Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Da Glock’.

In 2003, US soldiers found ousted Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, in his underground hideout near Tikrit with a Glock pistol in his possession. They later handed the gun over to then US President, George W. Bush, according to a New York Times report.

Gun control advocates have criticized Glock for the proliferation of its guns, which have been used in many crimes. Gaston Glock has systematically avoided responding to his critics, and in 2000 he refused to sign an agreement with other arms manufacturers with the US government to restrict gun ownership in the US.

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