Erdogan gifts NATO leaders revolvers, highlighting Turkey's defense industry

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented NATO leaders with an unusual parting gift at a summit in Ankara: vintage revolvers and live ammunition. The gesture aimed to highlight Turkey's growing defense industry, a significant export and foreign policy tool.

The firearms appeared to be Gumusay .357 Magnum revolvers, a model produced by Turkish arms maker MKE in the 1990s. They were presented in wooden display boxes featuring the Turkish flag and NATO logo, with a placard noting them as the "first revolver-type handgun produced in our country."

Leaders reacted with a mix of surprise and caution. Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever handed his revolver to airport police for safekeeping. Poland's President Karol Nawrocki's firearm was awaiting customs clearance to be kept securely. The Dutch and Swedish prime ministers' revolvers were taken to their respective embassies in Ankara, with plans for disabling or awaiting import paperwork.

Britain's Keir Starmer received a revolver with a cleaning kit and 500 bullets, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's was stored at the seat of government. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen intended to donate hers to a military museum.

Turkey's modern handgun industry primarily focuses on semi-automatics, making the gifted revolvers a collector's item. Turkish gunmakers have significantly impacted the European civilian firearms market with affordable pistols and shotguns. Between 2019 and 2024, Turkey ranked as the world's third-largest exporter of small arms, with exports totaling approximately $3 billion.

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Certainly no one will be shooting it.