How do teenagers keep accessing guns in Southeast Asia?

In Southeast Asia, teenagers continue to access guns in alarming ways. In Thailand, a 14-year-old student killed his grandparents and five school staff members before taking his own life. Police noted the attacker fired at least 26 rounds, making it Thailand's deadliest mass shooting in nearly four years. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, a ninth-grade student killed another student before dying by suicide. Both incidents highlight concerns about civilian gun ownership and how legally owned firearms end up in the wrong hands.

Thailand has the highest rate of civilian firearms per capita in Southeast Asia, with around 10.3 million guns - roughly 15 for every 100 people. Of these, more than 4 million are unregistered. The country's firearm death rate of 3.49 per 100,000 people is also one of the highest in Asia. Despite having restrictive laws requiring authorization to purchase, possess, and carry firearms, possession licenses remain valid for life without mental-health screenings or periodic reassessments.

Critics argue weak restrictions on resale have created a vast secondary market, with Thais easily acquiring illegal firearms on the black market.

In the Philippines, several million firearms are believed to be in civilian hands, with a high rate of firearm killings. In a recent attack in Zamboanga, a teenage student killed another student and later died by suicide. The weapon used belonged to his father, a customs police official. Another attack in Tacloban saw two teenagers use guns issued to their relatives - a Glock from his aunt, a police officer, and a revolver registered to a private security company.

While some Southeast Asian countries have relatively comprehensive laws, the deeper issue lies in the gap between regulation on paper and the political economy through which firearms circulate. Large existing stocks of firearms make registration laws insufficient to remove them from circulation. Recent Philippine school shootings indicate a need for systemic legislation, including stricter storage requirements, regular licence renewals, and penalties for negligence allowing access to children or unauthorized individuals.

Close tracking of weapons leaving police or military inventories and improved regional intelligence sharing against illicit trafficking are also crucial steps.

However, a problem that cannot be tackled by legislation is the social status attached to firearms in many cultures. In Thailand, firearms are often viewed as symbols of power, offering a sense of personal protection and status. This mindset continually drives up the demand for weapons, making it a challenging issue to address.