Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever was surprised to find a vintage revolver with live ammunition in his luggage after returning from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday. The gun was a parting gift from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who presented each NATO leader with a Gumusay .357 Magnum revolver, a rare six-shooter produced by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s, set in a wooden display box featuring Turkey's flag and the NATO logo.
Erdogan's Unusual Gifts Showcase Turkey's Defense Industry
Erdogan intended the gifts to highlight Turkey's defense industry, which has become a key export and foreign policy tool. Images shared by the office of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda showed the revolver with a placard inscribed "Gumusay, the first revolver-type handgun produced in our country" in Turkish and English. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's spokesperson confirmed all leaders received the same model, engraved on the barrel with their own names.
Belgium's PM Hands Over Gun to Airport Police
De Wever handed his revolver to Brussels' airport police to be secured in a safe. An aide to Polish President Karol Nawrocki told Radio RMF FM that his revolver was awaiting customs clearance at Warsaw Airport and would be kept appropriately "so that it is firstly safe and secondly respected as a gift." The aide added, "Certainly no one will be shooting it."
Other Leaders Handle Gifts Differently
Offices of the Dutch and Swedish prime ministers said their revolvers were taken to their respective embassies in Ankara. The Dutch revolver was due to be disabled, while the Swedish one awaited import paperwork. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's gun came with a cleaning kit and 500 bullets, a Downing Street source said. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's revolver was stored at the Palazzo Chigi alongside other state gifts. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen planned to donate hers to a military museum, and the Greek leader intended to give his to the War Museum in Athens.
Canadian PM Jokes About Maple Syrup Gift
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joked that "it struck me that my gift of maple syrup kind of undermatched" the Turkish present, adding he had not seen the pistol. He told a press conference, "I would like to reassure Canadians - they keep guns away from me," and said the revolver had been deactivated and might end up in the national war museum.
Turkey's Role in Small Arms Exports
Turkey's modern handgun industry focuses mainly on semi-automatics, making the Gumusay a collector's curiosity. Turkish gunmakers have entered Europe's civilian firearms market with inexpensive pistols and shotguns, challenging older Italian and Belgian brands. According to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, Turkey was the world's third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024, with exports totaling about $3 billion over the period, behind the United States and Italy.
