Thailand Suspends Gun Purchase Licenses After Deadly School Shooting

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered the suspension of new firearm purchase permits and a review of existing licenses following a deadly school shooting in Nonthaburi.

The directive, issued Tuesday, also calls for accelerating work on tougher gun control laws. Government agencies will inspect gun dealers and verify sales records, and ammunition at shooting ranges will be inspected for regulatory compliance. The measures aim to tighten supervision of firearm ownership, carrying, and use, while distinguishing between the right to possess a weapon and the right to carry or use it.

The government is also addressing illegal firearms through a crackdown on unregistered weapons. These actions follow a shooting where a 14-year-old boy killed eight people, including his grandparents, before taking his own life. The prime minister has directed a deputy prime minister overseeing legal affairs to expedite a new gun control law with stronger controls and harsher penalties, with a new bill to be proposed within 60 days.

The government stated that current provisions on lawful self-defense remain in force and no new law prohibits self-defense. An initial compensation of 1 million baht has been approved for six of the deceased victims.