Which gun manufacturing company was started by an Italian family in 1550, and still bears their name today?

With a history stretching back to the Italian Renaissance, this legendary firearms company was founded in 1526. The first recorded transaction for the business was when Maestro Bartolomeo Beretta of Gardone Val Trompia, Italy, was paid by the Arsenal of Venice to produce 185 arquebus barrels. This transaction marked the beginning of a manufacturing dynasty that has carried the family name for nearly 500 years, making it one of the oldest active family-owned businesses in the world.

What is truly astonishing is that the company has been passed down through 16 generations of the same family. This remarkable legacy of continuous ownership has allowed it to navigate centuries of technological and political change. While its origins are in Renaissance-era weaponry, the company is a major player in the modern world. Its most famous contemporary firearm is likely the M9 pistol, which served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States military for over three decades, cementing the family's historic name in the modern era.