THAILAND has moved to tighten firearm controls following a deadly school shooting, with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordering an immediate suspension of permits to purchase guns and a review of existing licences.
Anutin on Tuesday directed the police to stop renewing permits that allow individuals to purchase firearms and instructed a deputy prime minister overseeing legal affairs to accelerate the drafting of a new gun control law with stricter regulations and significantly tougher penalties.
He also reiterated that legally registered firearms must be kept at home and cannot be carried in public. For illegally held firearms, the Government is studying legislation that would require their surrender to the state within a specified period, Reuters cited Anutin saying.
The measures come days after a teenage gunman carried out a deadly shooting at a school outside Bangkok, killing several people before taking his own life, in one of Thailand’s worst mass killings in nearly four years.
The incident has renewed scrutiny of Thailand’s relatively high level of civilian gun ownership and the availability of firearms.
The Small Arms Survey estimated in 2017 that civilians in Thailand possessed about 10.3 million firearms, equivalent to roughly 15 guns for every 100 people — by far the highest rate in South-east Asia.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Education Minister has proposed additional school safety measures to the Cabinet, including screening everyone entering education premises for illegal objects and weapons. -August 11, 2026
