Thailand to overhaul gun ownership and licences

Thailand's government has begun a wide-ranging review of gun ownership and licensing after two recent shootings in Nonthaburi, including one involving a 14-year-old using his grandfather's firearm.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered work on a new firearms law, while certain purchase and possession licence applications have been suspended pending a Cabinet decision.

The August 7 shooting took place at Debsirin Nonthaburi School. Three days later, former MP Chalong Riewraeng was accused of shooting dead Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation president Pol Col Thongchai Yenprasert.

Anutin has assigned Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt, who oversees legal affairs, to speed up drafting of legislation covering firearms, ammunition and related equipment. The planned bill is expected to bring tighter restrictions and heavier penalties.

Licence freeze and possible gun surrender scheme

The Interior Ministry and Royal Thai Police have been directed to halt certain processes for P.3 gun-purchase licences and P.4 possession-and-use licences until the Cabinet decides otherwise.

The government is considering a time-limited scheme under which people could hand in illegal firearms without prosecution. It could apply to unregistered weapons, guns which cannot legally be transferred, and inherited firearms where the recipient cannot legalise ownership.

Officials would need to define which weapons qualify and how any exemption from prosecution would work, amid concerns that a poorly designed scheme could be misused by people seeking to avoid liability for illegal possession.

Checkpoints and reporting hotline expanded

Since August 7, provincial administrative officials have been working with police at checkpoints and roadblocks nationwide, targeting firearms carried in public.

In Phuket on the night of August 10, officials stopped a suspicious BMW at a checkpoint in Ko Kaeo, Mueang Phuket district. They found a CZ firearm and 30 rounds of ammunition concealed in the vehicle.

The 29-year-old driver could not show a licence to possess and use the firearm or a licence to carry it. He was arrested on charges of carrying a firearm in public without permission and possessing a firearm without permission, and was handed to Mueang Phuket Police Station investigators.

The ministry has opened the Damrongtham Centre hotline, 1567, around the clock for reports of suspected illegal firearms or people carrying guns in communities, public places and events. People with information can report homes, locations or individuals to the hotline.

Anutin defends intruder shooting remarks

Anutin Charnvirakul has also defended remarks about homeowners who shoot intruders, saying anyone who kills another person with a firearm would initially be treated as a suspect while authorities investigate whether the shooting amounted to lawful self-defence. He said claims of self-defence would ultimately have to be assessed through the justice system, while stressing that Thailand’s existing laws on self-defence had not changed.

Anutin said his earlier comments may have been too brief but insisted there had been no change to the law. He said the government’s wider objective was to reduce the risks associated with firearms, warning that Thailand had tens of millions of guns despite having a population of around 70 million. “We have to bring guns in Thailand under control,” he said, adding that firearms ultimately benefited no one.

Anutin said a person who used a gun against an intruder could face questioning, investigation and bail proceedings before a court determined whether the response was necessary, justified and proportionate to the threat. He said his comments were intended to highlight the potential legal consequences of possessing and using firearms, rather than deny people their right to defend themselves. “The law has not gone anywhere. It has not been changed. It is best to stay away from guns,” he said.

Legal and practical hurdles remain

Earlier Interior Ministry discussions examined checks on gun owners after licences had been granted. One proposal would require owners to temporarily surrender firearms and documents for inspection over up to 180 days.

However, the ministry's Legal Affairs Bureau questioned whether Section 57 of the 1947 Firearms Act gives authorities sufficient power for such a broad exercise. The provision allows weapons to be called in during emergencies or where needed for public order.

Officials have also raised questions about staffing, secure storage, damage liability and the ability to inspect and return large numbers of firearms within the proposed deadlines.

Picture courtesy of The Nation

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13 August 2026