Glock: The Rise of America's Gun

[RandomHero]

Amazon.com: Glock: The Rise of America's Gun (9780307719935): Paul M. Barrett: Books

Based on fifteen years of research, Glock is the riveting story of the weapon that has become known as American’s gun. Today the Glock pistol has been embraced by two-thirds of all U.S. police departments, glamorized in countless Hollywood movies, and featured as a ubiquitous presence on prime-time TV. It has been rhapsodized by hip-hop artists, and coveted by cops and crooks alike.

Created in 1982 by Gaston Glock, an obscure Austrian curtain-rod manufacturer, and swiftly adopted by the Austrian army, the Glock pistol, with its lightweight plastic frame and large-capacity spring-action magazine, arrived in America at a fortuitous time. Law enforcement agencies had concluded that their agents and officers, armed with standard six-round revolvers, were getting "outgunned" by drug dealers with semi-automatic pistols. They needed a new gun.

When Karl Water, a firearm salesman based in the U.S. first saw a Glock in 1984, his reaction was, “Jeez, that’s ugly.” But the advantages of the pistol soon became apparent. The standard semi-automatic Glock could fire as many as 17 bullets from its magazine without reloading (one equipped with an extended thirty-three cartridge magazine was used in Tucson to shoot Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others). It was built with only 36 parts that were interchangeable with those of other models. You could drop it underwater, toss it from a helicopter, or leave it out in the snow, and it would still fire. It was reliable, accurate, lightweight, and cheaper to produce than Smith and Wesson’s revolver. Made in part of hardened plastic, it was even rumored (incorrectly) to be invisible to airport security screening.

Filled with corporate intrigue, political maneuvering, Hollywood glitz, bloody shoot-outs—and an attempt on Gaston Glock’s life by a former lieutenant—Glock is at once the inside account of how Glock the company went about marketing its pistol to police agencies and later the public, as well as a compelling chronicle of the evolution of gun culture in America.

just read this in 2 days at work. Book was actually a real good read and full of interesting stories and such. the end was kinda meh because author started getting a bit of "antigun" without being "antigun", he seemed to be in favor of capacity limits and such.

 

[DubiousDan]

I have it but haven't read it yet. It's on my to be read list.

 

[Texasjack]

OMG! Glock="America's Gun"??? Seriously???

No.

You Glock lovers need to get a life - and a 1911.

 

[Chupacabra Hunter]

OMG! Glock="America's Gun"??? Seriously???

No.

You Glock lovers need to get a life - and a 1911.

I would not call Glock American's Gun....too many good choices out there. But I dont go bashing1911s. Keep your 1911 and I'll keep my Glock.... You need to stop worrying about other people's opinion...

 

[RandomHero]

Ya, read the book and you will under stand the title.

 

[Angered_Kabar]

Lol I could say some of you 1911 lover could get a life too worrying so much about anyone even suspected of slandering your favorite pattern of handgun.

 

[jfrey]

From the discussion so far I guess I'm all right. I have 1911's and Glocks and shoot the both. Being made in Austria, it does make me kinda wonder how Glock would be America's gun. To each his own.

 

[RandomHero]

From the discussion so far I guess I'm all right. I have 1911's and Glocks and shoot the both. Being made in Austria, it does make me kinda wonder how Glock would be America's gun. To each his own.

like i said, read the book an you will understand. the Book discuss Colts SAA and says how it was americas gun and talks about the 1911 and everything. then it discusses how Glock came into the market and went after government and police agencys then civies. and then the the "scandals" of them being "banned" and what not drove sales to ridiculous amounts.

 

[Texasjack]

I've had Glocks. They're nice guns. So are Berettas, Sigs, Colts, S&Ws, Springfields, etc. They are all made in Austria. They are NOT "America's Gun". I have no intention to buy or read a book that pretends to tell me that it is.

This is the same BS label spouted by that awful football team in Dallas. I don't buy their crap either.

John Browning (an American) designed the 1911 for Colt (an American company) and the pistol was standard issue for the military for like 80 years. (And it was not replaced with a Glock.) Over 100 years and still going. That is a pretty strong case for "America's Gun".

 

[RandomHero]

I've had Glocks. They're nice guns. So are Berettas, Sigs, Colts, S&Ws, Springfields, etc. They are all made in Austria. They are NOT "America's Gun". I have no intention to buy or read a book that pretends to tell me that it is.

This is the same BS label spouted by that awful football team in Dallas. I don't buy their crap either.

John Browning (an American) designed the 1911 for Colt (an American company) and the pistol was standard issue for the military for like 80 years. (And it was not replaced with a Glock.) Over 100 years and still going. That is a pretty strong case for "America's Gun".

whoa, calm down dude. its gonna be okay. the book never really does call the glock "americas gun", it seems a figuritive term. But im sure it seems that way based on the title.

i found this review, and it seems exactly like the way the book makes itself to be.

From the get-go I interpreted Mr. Barrett’s title as simply a pithy way of summarizing the way the gun quickly dominated law enforcement and civilian sales in this country.
It’s also a use of irony as Gaston Glock applied a large dose of American-style mechanical and marketing ingenuity to displace stalwarts like Smith and Wesson.
Glocks are pervasive in popular culture, seemingly the weapon of choice of “gangstas” both self-proclaimed and actual, even as cheap junk guns still fill up police evidence rooms.
He even makes a good point about “firearms prohibited” signage, particularly at airports – the silhouetted pistol is clearly a Glock in most cases.
Finally, it’s also a bit of recycling. His January “slam” against Glocks in Businessweek was titled by his *editors* as “The Killing Machine.” His original title: “America’s Gun.”

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Apparently, as far as I understand, it sounds like there is quite a bit of inaccurate info in that book:

Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun | Gun Nuts Media
NPR Interview on Glock, History Of

 

[Jon Payne]

I'll read it. As far as jumping on what pistol is best and all that I don't care. Just tools bro, if something better comes along the Glock will fit next to my 1911, BHP, CZ75, and other toys in the safe.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I'll read it. As far as jumping on what pistol is best and all that I don't care. Just tools bro, if something better comes along the Glock will fit next to my 1911, BHP, CZ75, and other toys in the safe.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

Being a Glock fan, that made me laugh........

 

[GaryH]

Glock is not this American's gun. They are fine weapons, but Colt and Smith and Wesson get my vote for America's gun even though Ruger has the biggest market share where handguns are concerned.

My next handgun purchase will hopefully be a nice used G34.

 

[RandomHero]

Glock is not this American's gun. They are fine weapons, but Colt and Smith and Wesson get my vote for America's gun even though Ruger has the biggest market share where handguns are concerned.

My next handgun purchase will hopefully be a nice used G34.

with Ruger suspending orders because they had far more than they could fill and the fact that the SR1911 has been backordered for months, we may be reading "Ruger: The Rise of Americas Gun" in 10years. Never know.