Bangkok Post
Thai PM suspends firearm purchase licences after school shooting
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Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday suspended the issuance of permits to buy firearms and said existing licences would be reviewed, days after a 14-year-old gunman killed nine people.
Key facts
- Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday suspended the issuance of permits to buy firearms and said existing licences would be reviewed, days after a 14-year-old gunman killed nine people.
- Mr Anutin directed Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt, who oversees legal affairs, to expedite a new gun control law, with stronger controls and significantly harsher penalties
- Between 2017 and 2020, the US-based manufacturer Sig Sauer secured two contracts to supply the Royal Thai Police with a total of 400,000 firearms, many of which were intended as welfare guns
- Thailand had an estimated 10.3 million firearms in civilian possession, equating to around 15 guns per 100 residents, the highest rate in the region by a wide margin, according to a 2017 estimate by the Small Arms Survey.
Summary
Mr Anutin directed Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt, who oversees legal affairs, to expedite a new gun control law, with stronger controls and significantly harsher penalties. A new bill is to be proposed within 60 days.
Police have been ordered to stop renewing permits that enable people to buy firearms. Registered firearms must be kept at home and cannot be carried in public, Mr Anutin said, reiterating the current law.