Bangkok —
Thailand has suspended new gun permits and tightened firearms regulations after a school shooting last week in which a 14-year-old boy turned the gun on himself and killed eight people.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul issued the directive on Tuesday, ordering government officials to “urgently strengthen system-wide firearm control measures,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The measures include temporarily suspending the issuance of gun purchase permits, reexamining all permits pending approval, and ending a new “welfare gun” program that allows eligible public officials, including civil servants and politicians, to purchase weapons at a discount.
Government agencies also plan to inspect gun dealers across the country and check their sales records. Inspect ammunition at the shooting range to ensure it complies with regulations. “We will accelerate the crackdown on illegal firearms, prosecute criminals harshly, and ask courts to impose maximum fines,” the directive reads.
The statement also lays out far-reaching reforms that will take time to legislate, including tougher penalties for offenders, tighter controls on ammunition at gun dealers and shooting ranges, and requiring gun permits to be renewed more frequently.
An initial compensation of 1 million baht (approximately $30,166) was approved for six of the victims who died, the statement said.
The shooting incident shined a new spotlight on Thailand’s high rate of gun ownership, both licensed and unlicensed.
Last Friday, a 14-year-old gunman first killed his grandparents in his own home, then opened fire on a middle school, killing six people there. He then committed suicide. It was the country’s worst mass shooting since 2022.
Police said Sunday that the gunman, whose air rifle was confiscated by a teacher last year, had been watching violent content online and using social media to learn how to use a firearm. The gun he used is believed to have belonged to his grandfather.
Thailand has the highest civilian gun ownership rate in Southeast Asia, with about 15 guns per 100 people. Gun death rates are similarly high, second highest in the region after the Philippines.
Countries with high rates of gun ownership tend to have correspondingly high rates of gun deaths. Multiple studies have linked easy access to firearms to an increased frequency of gun-related deaths, including suicide, homicide, and unintentional injury.
The shooting has not only reignited the debate over gun control in Thailand, but also focused on the mental health of students and young people.
The Department of Education announced it will develop new safety protocols in the coming months, including systems for mental health screening and referrals for at-risk people, training in emergency response plans, efforts to eradicate bullying and improved detection to stop items being brought into schools.
Mass shootings in other parts of the world often lead to stricter gun laws. Serbia and New Zealand, two countries with relatively high rates of gun ownership, have tightened regulations and introduced gun amnesty campaigns after recent horrific massacres.
The outlier remains the United States, which has the highest rates of gun violence and mass shootings in the world and has made little progress in tightening laws in the face of powerful lobbying and constitutional protections.
