European leaders navigate legal maze over Erdoğan's NATO gun gifts
A vintage Magnum .357 revolver gifted by Turkey's president to NATO leaders has forced European capitals to initiate emergency deactivations and forensic checks to comply with strict weapons laws.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave NATO leaders an unconventional parting gift following this week's alliance summit in Ankara: a personalised Magnum .357 revolver complete with live ammunition. The weapons, engraved with each recipient's name and the Turkish flag, were presented in wooden display boxes alongside a waiver for export controls. A sign accompanying the firearm identified it as the "Gümüşay, the first revolver-type handgun produced in our country”.
Rather than being treated as a standard diplomatic memento, the live weapons immediately triggered a cross-continental scramble to navigate strict European firearms regulations. The 7 to 8 July summit saw allies reaffirm their commitment to Article 5, but the subsequent departure proved far more complicated. Because bringing a loaded revolver on a government aircraft poses severe legal and security issues, leaders were forced to hand the weapons over to police, embassies, or security details.
Spain’s Pedro Sánchez transferred his gun to the Interior Ministry, where the Guardia Civil's Weapons Intervention Service will deactivate it. Portugal took a more cautious route, with police forensically analysing the weapon to determine exact legal provisions. Poland’s Secretary of State, Marcin Przydacz, confirmed the revolver passed customs and is in secure storage. “I do not know exactly whether it is a replica or an original. Certainly, no one will be firing it,” he added.
The diplomatic logistics proved unexpectedly complicated for Belgium’s Bart De Wever, who reportedly only realised the "exact nature" of the gift upon returning home and promptly surrendered it to airport police. His security team also had to manage the revolvers intended for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa. Von der Leyen avoided mentioning the weapon publicly, thanking Erdoğan on X for his "warm welcome" and noting that "in a more challenging world, our partnership matters more than ever."
Germany’s Friedrich Merz left the weapon with the German Embassy in Ankara to ensure it is "properly imported" into the state gift inventory, a necessary step under German rules requiring officials to declare valuable gifts. The UK’s Keir Starmer avoided the travel issue entirely, leaving his firearm in Turkey for deactivation before it is shipped to London. Italy registered the gift at the Chigi Palace, while Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis opted to donate his directly to the Athens War Museum.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney captured the general sentiment among allies, joking that his gift of maple syrup had "undermatched" the vintage weapon. "This is something for the war museum," Carney said. "It's interesting and it relates to NATO."
