Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented leaders attending a recent NATO summit with engraved revolvers, each accompanied by six rounds of ammunition. The gifts, intended to highlight Turkey's expanding defense industry, led to a range of responses, with some leaders unable to bring the firearms back to their home countries due to legal restrictions.
The .357 Magnum revolvers, identified as the Gumusay model produced by the Turkish state arms manufacturer MKE, were engraved with the recipients' names. While the gesture aimed to promote Turkey's self-reliance in advanced military systems, including drones and warships, it also created logistical and legal hurdles for several Western leaders.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney noted the disparity between his own gift of maple syrup and the engraved firearm, stating that the revolver was in police possession upon his return. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar shared a photograph of his gift on X, a social media platform, though his subsequent actions with the revolver were not immediately clear. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's spokesperson indicated that her gifted revolver would be decommissioned and donated to a military museum. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also left his revolver behind, as importing it into the UK would be illegal, and it would be decommissioned.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever handed his revolver to airport police upon arrival. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten's revolvers were left at their respective countries' embassies in Ankara and would also be taken out of service. In Italy, the firearm was logged as an official gift, while Greek officials announced it would be donated to the War Museum. Croatian President Zoran Milanović learned of the gift after returning from the summit, and his office stated it would likely be handed over to a police museum, with Milanović commenting he "didn't take it."
The White House had not responded to inquiries about the gift. Erdogan's office also did not comment on the matter. The gifting of firearms is a less unusual occurrence within Turkey, where gun culture is deeply embedded. However, gun control advocacy groups in the country have reported rising levels of armed violence, with over 2,700 incidents last year in a population of 86 million.
Alongside the revolvers, summit participants also received a more conventional gift: a copy of Erdogan's biography, titled "The politics of courage: Erdogan and the rise of Türkiye."