| Gaston Glock | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 July 1929 |
| Nationality | Austria |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Known for | Founder of Glock |
| Spouse | Kathrin Glock |
| Children | Brigitte Glock Gaston Glock, Jr Robert Glock |
Gaston Glock (born July 19, 1929) is an Austrian engineer, and founder of the firearms company Glock. The Glock "safe-action" pistol is well regarded and has often been copied by other companies. The process of producing the Glock pistol includes the application of Tenifer, a patented metal treatment that hardens the slide and barrel. Glock never actually designed or manufactured a gun until he was 52 years old, but he was already an expert in plastics, having made a small fortune manufacturing curtain rods and grenade shells for the Austrian Army.
Glock has three children out of his former marriage with Helga Glock. He divorced and married 31-year old Kathrin Tschikof, manager of the Glock Horse Performance Center, in 2011.[1][2]
In July 1999 Charles Ewert, a business associate of Glock, hired a French ex-mercenary to murder Glock (who was 70 years old at that time[3]) with a mallet in a garage in Luxembourg 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.[4]