Millions of guns, repeated shootings: Thailand confronts limits of firearm control

BANGKOK, 18 AUGUST 2026 —

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul last week halted new firearm purchase permits and ordered tighter inspections after two mass shootings this month killed eight people.

The initial measures also include stepped-up roadside weapon checks, a possible firearm amnesty and broader legal reform. Authorities plan to review every existing licence and weapon.

Experts say the moves ignore Thailand’s 10.3 million civilian firearms—6.2 million legal and 4.1 million illegal—already in circulation.

“Authorities issue quick fixes after high-profile incidents but structural reform stalls once public attention fades,” said Trynh Phoraksa, a criminologist at Mahidol University.

Thailand has tightened rules repeatedly after mass shootings only to see cycles repeat. After a 14-year-old killed two people at Bangkok’s Siam Paragon mall in October 2023 using a modified blank-firing pistol, the government temporarily halted new public licences and targeted the blank-firing loophole. Police launched a nationwide “Gun Clearance Operation” against illegal and modified weapons.

A year earlier, a former police officer shot 37 people, including 24 children, in Nong Bua Lamphu province—the country’s worst single-perpetrator mass killing. The army then scrapped a welfare gun programme that let personnel buy discounted firearms and tightened approvals for soldiers’ personal weapons.

Despite these moves, Krisanaphong Poothakool, an independent criminologist, called Thailand’s firearms law “outdated and in need of a complete overhaul.” He said access remains easy through black markets and modified replicas, while penalties are weak: illegal possession carries up to 10 years in prison but the maximum fine is just 20,000 baht (US$600).

Unofficial 2017 data from the Small Arms Survey estimated Thailand’s civilian gun stock at 10.3 million—6.2 million legal and 4.1 million illegal—far exceeding any other Southeast Asian country. Per capita, Thailand’s stock is more than four times the Philippines’ and roughly 20 times Malaysia’s, the survey found.

“Beyond the inability to register or track firearm locations, there is an overly accessible path to acquiring guns, loopholes between legal and illegal firearms and a severe lack of post-licensing oversight,” Trynh said.

Porous borders and local illegal production help sustain the market, Krisanaphong added. “Ownership is frequently perceived as a status of power.”

For Paween Arunno, 54, owning a handgun for a decade has been purely for self-defence. He keeps the weapon discreetly stored and opposes periodic inspections or mandatory renewals, though he supports stricter vetting of prospective buyers. “Obtaining each firearm is already no easy task,” he said.

Trynh, however, pointed to the Debsirin Nonthaburi school shooting, where the 14-year-old gunman allegedly used a weapon registered to his grandfather. He urged the government to mandate locked safes, separate ammunition storage and immediate reporting of lost firearms.

Anutin has proposed making registered owners legally accountable if their weapons are used in a crime, a move relevant to the Debsirin case. The plan would require secure storage, child-proofing and prompt missing-weapon reports.

Online sales compound the challenge. A Channel NewsAsia check found multiple firearms openly advertised on messaging platforms such as Line, with transactions arranged quickly.

Related: Bangkok