Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis has sparked controversy after expressing open admiration for the United States’ approach to gun ownership, an unusual stance in a country where civilian access to firearms is tightly restricted.

Speaking on greek TV on Thursday morning, Georgiadis said he personally supports the “American model” of gun rights. “I like the idea of self-defense,” he said. “I’m not against it. I like the American model.”

The minister’s remarks came amid ongoing discussions about a bloody vendetta that rocked Crete, where illegal gun possession remains a persistent problem. Georgiadis sought to distinguish between that and his support for legal gun ownership. “What happens in Crete is different,” he said. “There the guns are illegal.”

When journalists pointed out the high number of school shootings in the United States, Georgiadis replied, “No measure has only positive effects,” defending the American system’s “strict self-defense laws” that allow homeowners to shoot intruders.

He further argued that he admires citizens who are “able to defend their freedom,” adding, “I love freedom very much, and freedom requires defense.”

Georgiadis clarified that his comments reflected his personal beliefs, not the government’s stance. “Obviously, this is not the government’s position,” he said. “Fortunately, New Democracy is not a Stalinist party—we can have personal opinions.”

The minister’s remarks were made in response to comments by Kyriakos Velopoulos, leader of the far-right Greek Solution party, who recently expressed support for legal gun ownership. “I probably share the same position,” Georgiadis admitted.