Gaston Glock, the Austrian developer of the Glock handgun, dies at 94

Julio Piloto, owner of General Gun Shop, left, shows customer Pedro Silva, of Homestead, Fla., right, a Glock 19 at a gun show held by Florida Gun Shows, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Gaston Glock, the Austrian developer of the handgun that bears his name, died on Wednesday. He was 94.

The Glock company announced his death, the Austria Press Agency reported.

Glock, a reclusive engineer, founded the company in 1963 in Deutsch-Wagram, near Vienna. It has since expanded around the world, including a U.S. subsidiary founded in 1985.

Glock handguns are used by police and some countries' military forces, as well as private users. The weapon was significantly lighter, cheaper and more reliable than the models available when it was created.

Glock said on its website that its founder “not only revolutionized the world of small arms in the 1980s, but also succeeded in establishing the Glock brand as the global leader in the handgun industry.”