THAILAND: Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has suspended the issuance and renewal of firearm purchase licences across Thailand following a deadly school shooting that left nine people dead, marking one of the country’s worst mass killings in recent years.
The emergency measures include an immediate halt to new firearm purchase permits and a nationwide review of existing gun licences. The prime minister also instructed the government to fast-track new gun control legislation featuring stricter regulations and significantly tougher penalties for firearms-related offences.
Authorities have additionally ordered that legally registered firearms must remain at owners’ residences and cannot be carried in public, reinforcing existing restrictions as part of broader efforts to strengthen public safety.
School Security Tightened as Thailand Moves to Curb Gun Violence
The policy shift follows last week’s attack outside Bangkok, where a 14-year-old student allegedly shot and killed six people at a school after earlier fatally shooting his grandparents before taking his own life.
The Education Ministry has proposed enhanced security measures for schools, including mandatory screening of everyone entering educational institutions for weapons and prohibited items.
The government is also considering legislation requiring owners of illegal firearms to surrender their weapons within a specified period as part of a nationwide crackdown on illicit arms.
According to the Small Arms Survey, Thailand has an estimated 10.3 million civilian-owned firearms, equivalent to around 15 guns per 100 residents, the highest rate in Southeast Asia. The latest reforms represent one of Thailand’s most significant efforts in years to tighten gun laws and address rising concerns over firearm-related violence.