Thai PM vows new gun law after deadly school shooting
Thailand's prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who previously tightened gun laws when he was interior minister, will now propose a law to restrict the carrying of firearms by the public.
Bangkok, Thailand was shaken by a deadly shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School on Friday, resulting in at least eight fatalities. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul immediately vowed to introduce a new firearms control law in the nation with the highest gun ownership rate in Southeast Asia. The new legislation would restrict the public from carrying firearms, allowing only government officials on duty to possess guns.
However, no specific details about the proposed law were provided. Thailand currently has approximately 10.3 million firearms in civilian possession, with around 15 guns per 100 residents. Out of these, just over 6 million are registered firearms, while 4 million are unregistered weapons. Mass shootings, including incidents at schools and a major Bangkok mall, have been frequent in Thailand due to the lack of strict regulations.
Anutin, who previously tightened gun laws as interior minister, will now propose the new law, but Thailand's current licensing regime still lacks mental health screening for gun owners and does not require periodic reassessments for license holders.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
