In Bangkok's gun district, traders say Thai crackdown misses the mark
LOAVES of sourdough bread now fill the display window of Suchart and Friends Gun, a firearms shop-turned-bakery in Bangkok’s old quarter where pistols and rifles once lined the glass case.
A Bangkok gun shop has transformed into a bakery after a severe shooting, but traders say the Thai crackdown on firearms misses the mark. Suchart and Friends Gun, a firearms shop-turned-bakery, has been banned from importing firearms since a 2023 mall shooting, one of several mass shootings that have prompted tighter regulation.
Owner Warintorn Boonyachai hopes the gun-import ban will be lifted, finding baking less tiring than selling guns. However, a recent 14-year-old gunman shooting at a school and his home outside Bangkok has led Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to propose a new law suspending the issuance of new firearm purchasing and ownership permits.
Thititorn Bupparamanee, president of the Firearms Traders Association of Thailand, believes the suspension won't solve the gun violence problem, fearing it may push some to the black market. Thailand has around 10.3 million firearms in civilian possession, the second-highest rate in Asia. Despite the crackdown, one gun store with a century-long history has only two guns left for sale and six staff, unable to sell or import new guns.
Some supporters of gun ownership call for more scrutiny on weapon carry and use, suggesting that knives pose similar threats.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
