How the Glock became America’s weapon of choice

Leftist leanings and all, NPR Terry Gross’ interview with Glock specialist, Paul Barrett, is a fascinating look at the history of this iconic weapon in America. Fascinating. (Listen to the interview, below, after enjoying some of their latest clever marketing entitled, “Somebody Picked the Wrong Girl.”)

In his book Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun, Paul Barrett traces how the sleek, high-capacity Austrian weapon found its way into Hollywood films and rap lyrics, not to mention two-thirds of all U.S. police departments.

The Glock was created in 1982 by curtain-rod manufacturer Gaston Glock. Glock didn’t like the handguns available on the market and decided to manufacture a new gun from scratch. Before starting, he asked gun experts in his native Austria what could be done to improve a handgun for the modern era.

“They said, ‘A gun with much larger ammunition capacity, a gun that is much more durable and reliable … [and] the gun should be easy to fire [and] easy to learn how to use,'” Barrett tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. “He integrated all of those elements into the Glock, and that’s how he won his original contract with the Austrian army.” – NPR