Would you own a firearm held together with pins and glue?

I guess so. An AR-15 has several pins in it !!!!

Firearms use shouldered, grooved, or some other retention designed “pins” that are therefore not true pins.

If you built it and told me that it would work, yeah, I sure would!!

You haven't detail stripped a Glock, have you?

Yes and the pins have shoulders and grooves for retention. And, therefore are not true pins.

I made this for a shop knife over 15 years ago. As anyone can see it's been used and abused in ways a knife was never intended to be used and the scales are still holding tight. I use corby bolts at times but I also use pins. I've never had a knife returned for the scales coming loose.

1. The weakest mechanical connection is stronger than the strongest pin ang glue connection.

2. What some people call abuse and hard use is a joke for others. It’s all relative and therefore a very subjective, almost meaningless claim.

3. All chemical bonds weaken over time. When the glue fails, and it will...the pins only strength is in shear. The knife in pic is what I would call a light duty or kitchen knife.

Whatever Jeff,I'm not going to argue with you. And neither will I claim that my humble knives are superior to others.
YMMV

The statement - “Pins are weaker than mechanical connections”, really can’t be argued.

1. You jumped into this with both feet. When you do that, expect to defend whatever point you’re attempting to make other than saying “I’m not going to argue...”

2. Implying that pins and glue are as strong or nearly as strong as bolts, flared tubes and other mechanical connections, is neither “humble” or forthright.

Imagine if you had used pins with a groove?!

A groove AND a mechanical part to fit into the groove as in the case of the Glock - take a closer look at your Glock.

Peen is the ticket on a pin..

Peening is the most popular defense of using pins and it's a very weak defense at that. Here's why:

1. The purpose of peening a pin is to create a shoulder at the ends of the pin. IF the peened section of the pin stands proud of the scales, the pin is now a rivet with marginal shoulders and therefore marginal strength.
Once the peened part of the pin that stands proud of the scales is ground flush with the scales, as in the case of almost all pins that are "claimed" to be peened - the peened part of the pin is completely negated. A hint to knife buyers - IF the pin is perfectly round with no deformation (from peening) and it's ground flush with the scales, you have a knife with a straight non-peened pin.

2. The strongest glued and peened pin is weaker than the weakest true rivet, corby bolt, flared tube of other mechanical connection.

3. IF THE PIN IS FLUSH WITH THE SCALES, IT IS NOT A PEENED PIN. AND, IF THE PIN IS PROUD OF THE SCALES and deformed (see pic) THE PIN IS ACTUALLY A RIVET.