One of the most talked-about moments from this week’s NATO summit didn’t happen in a meeting room.
As leaders departed Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan handed each visiting head of state and government a personalized Turkish-made Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver — a parting gift that quickly created legal headaches across Europe and parts of North America.
Each presentation case included a revolver engraved with the recipient’s name, a cleaning kit, a box of live ammunition, a plaque identifying it as “the first revolver-type handgun produced” in Turkey and paperwork, including an export waiver signed by Erdoğan.
Not every leader could simply take the gift home.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer left his revolver in Turkey because U.K. firearms laws effectively prohibit its import. Officials expect it will be decommissioned before any transfer takes place.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney turned his firearm over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which is weighing whether to place it in a museum after rendering it inoperable.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she plans to donate hers to a military museum once it has been decommissioned.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever reportedly flew back to Brussels with both the revolver and its live ammunition before discovering they had not been properly declared. He later surrendered them to airport police for safekeeping.
Unlike several other world leaders, President Donald Trump has not publicly disclosed what he plans to do with the engraved revolver he received from Erdoğan.
While the gifts created legal and logistical challenges for several recipients, they were also widely viewed as a showcase for Turkey’s growing firearms industry, which has become a major exporter of civilian firearms in recent years.
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