• JANUARY 12, 2011

Rampage Gun's Reputation Built on Style, Ease of Use

By GARY FIELDS

Police and gun dealers say Glock semiautomatic pistols, including the lightweight model allegedly used in the Tucson rampage last weekend, are among the most popular firearms in the U.S. because they are easy to use, reliable and accurate.

"The Glock is a very popular weapon, generally not only with the law enforcement but with civilians," said James Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents about 330,000 street-level officers. "It's a well-made and easy-to-maintain weapon."

The handgun Jared Lee Loughner is accused of using to kill six people and wound 14 others also has a reputation for stylishness. Boxy, angular with an air of brute utility, the Glock is often featured in Hollywood films as the weapon of choice for both good and bad guys.

The Glock can even take its place among "classic" popular-culture gun styles—along with the Uzi, AK47, Thompson submachine gun and Colt 45, said Robert Thompson, a professor at Syracuse University.

"There are a number of guns that fall into the pantheon of popular culture," he said. "Guns are a lot like cars, and in some ways designer dresses and suits: They become classics."

Glocks began moving into the mainstream in the U.S. in the late 1980s as drug-related violence escalated. Police armed with six-shot revolvers often found themselves outgunned by criminals armed with semiautomatics—Glocks and other makes— that had large ammunition capacities.

Officers began switching to Glocks, allowing them to fire nearly triple the number of bullets before needing to reload. "I would say the plurality of law-enforcement agencies out there now use Glocks," Mr. Pasco said.

The Glock 19 that police say Mr. Loughner used Saturday is more compact than some models in the manufacturer's stable—it is about 6 inches long. It comes with a 15-shot magazine, though police say Mr. Loughner used an extended magazine that contained 33 bullets.

Glock, based in Austria, built a plant in Smyrna, Ga., in the 1980s and began producing the high-tech polymer firearm in the U.S. Over the years as it began to take hold in the law enforcement community,It is among the top 20 manufacturers of firearms in the U.S., according to data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Repeated attempts to contact Glock officials to comment were unsuccessful. In 2008, the last year for which data are available, the company produced over 70,000 semiautomatic pistols sold in the U.S. Sturm, Ruger & Company Inc., produced over 239,00 and Smith and Wesson made more than 303,000 pistols
The gunman in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre also used a Glock 19, and another gun, but law-enforcement officials said it was not normally considered a gun used by criminals.

Glocks are more expensive than guns normally found at crime scenes. In Maryland gun stores, for example the Glock 19 sells for around $600. Andrew Raymond, co-owner of Engage Armament, Kensington, Md., said the model runs between $590 and $639. at his store and is "very popular.""They are ubiquitous throughout the world," he said. His store sells "an incredible amount to law enforcement and military personnel, first responders."

Mr. Raymond said their popularity stems from their reputation as being "exceptionally reliable and low-maintenance. They are good for the first-time shooter." Mr. Raymond said he, his business partner and their gunsmith carry Glocks. "We stake our lives on those things," he said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704515904576076261511207484.html
Write to Gary Fields at gary.fields@wsj.com