Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was surprised to learn that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had given an engraved gun to him and other world leaders at this week's NATO Summit in Ankara. During a press conference on Thursday, Carney admitted he never saw the gift and quipped, 'I would like to reassure Canadians they keep guns away from me,' referring to his staff.
Gift Details Emerge
Carney said he discovered the contents of the present—pistols individually inscribed with each leader's name and accompanied by a box of six bullets—during a discussion with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Other leaders confirmed receiving the same gift. Starmer revealed the gift to the British press on the flight back to the UK Wednesday, noting he had to leave the gun in Turkey because importing it into Britain would be illegal.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who only learned of the gift after landing in Belgium, immediately handed it over to airport police. De Wever's security team also handled revolvers given to European Union chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, according to AFP. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on X that the gun was a Magnum revolver.
Canadian Response
Global Affairs Canada said in an unattributed statement Wednesday evening that Carney's pistol was being transferred to the RCMP to be decommissioned. The ammunition was left in Turkey. 'It's not a legal firearm in Canada, and I certainly don't have a licence for it,' Carney said. He added that they plan to find the best home for it in a military museum or with the Canadian Armed Forces, given its relation to NATO. 'But yes, it was not what I expected,' he said. Carney noted that his gift of maple syrup to Erdogan 'kind of undermatched' the engraved revolver.
