Prime Minister Mark Carney turned over a personalized pistol presented by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the RCMP after receiving the gift during this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye.“I never saw it,” Carney said. “I would like to reassure Canadians. They keep guns away from me.”The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed all NATO leaders received the gift. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer later told reporters the pistols were engraved with each leader’s name and accompanied by a box of ammunition..Global Affairs Canada said the firearm will not remain in the Prime Minister’s possession.“The gift in question was provided to every NATO leader and is being transferred to the possession of the RCMP for decommissioning. The ammunition remained in Türkiye,” the department said in a statement.“All official gifts are handled in accordance with applicable Canadian laws, security requirements and government policies.” Carney said he learned about the gift from Starmer during a conversation with other leaders.“He pointed out to me that he received this and had his name on it,” Carney said.Carney joked his own gift of maple syrup “kind of undermatched” Erdoğan’s pistol.“It’s not what I expected,” he said.Carney said the pistol has since been decommissioned because it is not legal in Canada and he does not have a firearms licence.“With the RCMP, it’s been decommissioned because it’s not a legal firearm in Canada, and I certainly don’t have a licence for it,” Carney said.He said the firearm could eventually be placed in a museum, possibly connected to the Canadian Armed Forces or military history.“This is something for the War Museum or the CAF museum or something like that, where it’s interesting and it relates to NATO and the bigger picture,” Carney said.Starmer said Wednesday he had to leave his gift in Türkiye because importing it into the United Kingdom would be illegal, despite a letter from Erdoğan waiving Turkish export controls.The pistol was engraved with each leader’s name and accompanied by a box of ammunition.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was unable to bring his gift home because importing the firearm into the United Kingdom would be illegal, despite Erdoğan providing a letter waiving Turkish export restrictions.Belgian PM Bart De Wever unknowingly brought home the loaded, personalized revolver, the gift wasn't opened until the delegation landed in Belgium, where they discovered the gun and ammunition. The weapon was immediately handed over to airport police, and its fate is still undecided according to Belgian outlet 7sur7Carney left Ankara following the NATO summit and arrived Thursday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he is continuing a diplomatic trip through the Middle East.
