Glock The Man and Company

J

jbays

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I am not sure how to ask this...but here it goes.
I recently read the book GLOCK: The Rise of America's Gun. In the book Gaston Glock was described as a technical genius and a marketing guru. He surrounded himself with people willing to take risks and make big rewards.

The issue I have is that, according to the book, Glock as a human being was very greedy, a horrible person to work for, backstabbing, and plain awful person. Sex, strip clubs, and women were one part of his life, while anther side was reserved and quiet. He made a point of divorcing his wife, cutting the kids out of the company and not speaking to his grandkids out of spite. There are even some tries to the Nazi party.

It guess the company has done some real questionable things too.

I am just not sure I want to support a company/person like this.

What are some other .....morally better??.....companies to purchase handguns from? Or, am I just overthinking this? I have 2 Glocks that have been purchased used, so I was not directly supporting this business (I understand that I WAS, just not directly). Maybe I am just thinking too much. Help me out
 
Hey, you're not going to go to hell for buying a glock.. new or used. I hope you're not considering tearing down any confederate statues. I can't stand Bezos, but I'm not ditching my amazon prime.
 
So was this written by someone at S&W, Sig, or Ruger?
Bet you can find dirt on every entrepreneur everywhere.
Not stopping me from buying a Glock if they come up with something I want. Just happy with the two I already have.
 
I PROMISE I am not loyal to any one company. Just wondering out loud.
I know this should not even be a question, but I choose who I do business with and I like to support companies I believe in. (Example, I don't shop at Wal-Mart due to their stupid business choices and anti-2nd stand).

i think you are right, I can find dirt on anyone, but still.......I think about these things
 
The thing I found bizarre about Gaston Glock from reading that book is that he isn't fond of the US and its citizens. This country played a big role in making him a billionaire, yet no love from Mr. Glock.

As far as moral purchases go, you may have to buy a 3D printer and make your own firearms.
 
Popcorn out. :eek:
Put 3 people in a room(or 3 authors of the same subject)’ get 4 opinions.
Ever own a Ford? Fly on a Boeing aircraft? Do you love the idea that the US was first to the moon? Ya know who the tech genius behind that was, yes?
Most Japanese car company owners have no real ‘love’ for the US either. They love our $, but not the US citizenry.

For right below, yup...same to Japanese companies.
 
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If you desire to boycott a product because an executive is a despicable human being then that is your personal choice based on your values.

You do what you feel is right. Don't ever under-think your social conscience.
 
It's certainly any person's right to refuse to patronize a company that they find reprehensible in one way or another or that is owned or run by persons they find repugnant.

It's another thing to indict others for their failure to take the same actions. But the OP isn't doing that. He's not even trying to convince anyone that they should follow his lead.

He's only asking if there are gun companies that might not be tainted in the same way he feels the Glock corporation is.

It's a simple question. Let's not make it more complicated than it is or read things into it that aren't there.
 
He's only asking if there are gun companies that might not be tainted in the same way he feels the Glock corporation is.
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I think you would be very hard pressed to find any manufacturer of firearms that has not, at some point in its history, made some morally questionable choices especially if you move the bar from the company as a whole to individual executives and their private lives. I'm interested to see if anyone is willing to hold a particular company up as innocent.

Now you may find ones that you find more morally acceptable than others but I think this is going to be so subjective as to be a purely personal choice.
 
As far as moral purchases go, you may have to buy a 3D printer and make your own firearms
Great thought, but think I will pass :-)
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Good idea. That 3D printer is probably made by Communist China, with Japanese technology, stolen from the US with tech support in Pakistan.
Welcome to the World in 2020!
 
This really does not have to be different than having a preference for "Made in USA."

Glock is, if nothing else, un-American. Does that matter, and if so, why? We all buy some things that are un-American. Do you desire your gun to have certain attributes of what you consider to be virtue, or do you only care about features and function? There isn't a "correct" choice. This is just a matter of preference.

It is fair to say that we can find faults in any nation, in any gun company, and in any owner, executive, director or inventor. I am not interested in glorifying any person, any nation, or any material thing, so I'll just leave it at that.

Are there functionally excellent alternatives to Glock? Absolutely. I personally appreciate full-size or compact guns with reflex sights, and would suggest an optics-ready CZ P10 F or C as a similar-cost alternative. I like the M&P 2.0 even better, but since S&W has not made the C.O.R.E. version widely-available, Ed Brown has done it for us in their Fusion line of pistols, a very nice package indeed. If you prefer a subcompact single-stack, Kahr and SIG are USA-made.

Again, can we say these are more morally virtuous? I wouldn't attempt it. CZ was around for a long time before they were occupied by the Soviets. There is a lot of history there. Should we fault it for any of their mistakes in all the past or just what they are now? The CZ75 is a communist design that a rip-off of the Nazi P-38. The P10 is just a glock-a-like. S&W is most often begrudged for their compromise on gun control when the brand was run by the British company Tomkins. That's probably because most people have forgotten the time they ripped-off Colt's designs. They were bought out by an American company, and have not since similarly compromised to my knowledge, on the gun control thing. They did rip-off Colt again, twice (AR-15 and 1911), but who doesn't these days? (it's perfectly legal) What about Ed Brown? Should we fault them for sourcing some parts and design from S&W even though they add more value to the pistol than the cost of the base M&P? What about Kahr? I think they're wonderful pistols with a terrific trigger. Should we fault Justin Moon because his dad was a religious nut-case that believed he was messiah and the savior of the world? If we're really going to get down to it, John Moses Browning was a polygamist follower of the teachings of Joseph Smith who would make Gaston Glock blush. Browning's short-recoil action is in most every centerfire semi-automatic pistol made today.
 
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I am not sure how to ask this...but here it goes.
I recently read the book GLOCK: The Rise of America's Gun. In the book Gaston Glock was described as a technical genius and a marketing guru. He surrounded himself with people willing to take risks and make big rewards.

The issue I have is that, according to the book, Glock as a human being was very greedy, a horrible person to work for, backstabbing, and plain awful person. Sex, strip clubs, and women were one part of his life, while anther side was reserved and quiet. He made a point of divorcing his wife, cutting the kids out of the company and not speaking to his grandkids out of spite. There are even some tries to the Nazi party.
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You forgot to mention that he thinks Americans are stupid. And IIRC his ties were to the Hitler youth. I read the same book. It was an interesting read.

And I have heard Steve Jobs was a terrible person to work for. Gonna sell your Apple device?

If you like of Glocks then keep them and don't worry about old man Glock, He is pretty much out of the picture now and in the end I bet his kids get his money and company.

Henry Ford was supposed to be a total AH to his people and his own son. This sort of person is not unheard of.
 
jbays said:
I am not sure how to ask this...but here it goes.
I recently read the book GLOCK: The Rise of America's Gun. In the book Gaston Glock was described as a technical genius and a marketing guru. He surrounded himself with people willing to take risks and make big rewards.

The issue I have is that, according to the book, Glock as a human being was very greedy, a horrible person to work for, backstabbing, and plain awful person. Sex, strip clubs, and women were one part of his life, while anther side was reserved and quiet. He made a point of divorcing his wife, cutting the kids out of the company and not speaking to his grandkids out of spite. There are even some tries to the Nazi party.

It guess the company has done some real questionable things too.

I am just not sure I want to support a company/person like this.

What are some other .....morally better??.....companies to purchase handguns from? Or, am I just overthinking this?
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"Eh. Whatever." I've had Makarovs. Soviet era Commie milsurp. Doesn't get much more evil sourced than that.
 
“The love of money is the root of all evil”... or something like that right? I highly doubt you will be able to buy any firearm without supporting a manufacturer, importer, distributer, etc that prioritizes their profits above their values. I would make the same bet if you were buying a set of wrenches.

I Have not read this book, but my question is: Have you researched the claims yourself, verified them from multiple independent sources?

I can only think of one firearms designer who didn’t make weapons for profit. His sole motivation was to provide a better weapon for his fellow soldiers and his country. His weapons have an even better reputation for reliability than Glocks. He was a soldier, a patriot, and even a poet. His only connection to the Nazi party was when he fought against them in WW2. He is no longer alive, but you can still support his memory by buying an AK-47.
 
Thanks all for the insight and viewpoints. I am not trying to influence anyone or support or downplay any one company.
I just ask about Gaston Glock as a person and thinking of supporting or not supporting this company.
Thanks again
Jeremy
 
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