Gaston Glock

Gaston Glock (born July 19, 1929) is an Austrian engineer, and founder of the firearms company Glock. The well-regarded Glock "safe-action" pistol is used by security forces and law enforcement agencies in 48 countries. The process of producing the Glock pistol includes the application of Tenifer, a patented metal treatment that hardens the slide and barrel. Glock had 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. In 2011, he divorced and married then 31-year old Kathrin Tschikof, manager of the Glock Horse Performance Center. Glock regularly supports different charity drives in Austria, having donated over one million euros.

Murder attempt
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) 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.

Book
In 2012, a book written by Paul M. Barrett was published about Gaston Glock's life, titled Glock: The Rise of America's Gun. The Wall Street Journal calls it "a fascinating look at one man's extraordinary success".