Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul suspended firearm purchase permits and ordered a review of existing licenses following a school shooting that killed nine people. New gun control legislation with stricter penalties is also being expedited.
The suspension of firearm permits and the push for stricter gun control legislation signal a significant policy shift in Thailand following a tragic school shooting, aiming to address the country's high rate of gun violence and improve public safety.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced on Tuesday the suspension of permits for firearm purchases and a review of existing licenses, days after a 14-year-old gunman killed nine people in a school shooting. The Prime Minister directed a deputy prime minister to expedite new gun control legislation, which will include stronger controls and significantly harsher penalties.
Police have been instructed to cease renewing permits that allow individuals to buy firearms. Anutin reiterated that registered firearms must be kept at home and cannot be carried in public. Studies are also underway to enact legislation requiring the return of illegal firearms to the state within a specified period.
The shooting, which occurred last week, involved a teenage student who killed six people and himself at a school outside Bangkok after fatally shooting his grandparents. This incident marks the Southeast Asian nation's worst mass killing in nearly four years.
According to a 2017 estimate by the Small Arms Survey, Thailand had approximately 10.3 million firearms in civilian possession, translating to about 15 guns per 100 residents, which is the highest rate in the region by a considerable margin. In response to the incident, the education minister proposed new school safety measures to the cabinet, including screening individuals entering educational premises for illegal objects and weapons.