Terror at Railay Beach in Krabi - foreign tourists taken hostage as shots fired

[Just Weird]

All the firearms "experts" are out in force derailing this thread, posting their irrelevant "information" after a quick google.

[transam]

Just now, Just Weird said:

All the firearms "experts" are out in force derailing this thread, posting their irrelevant "information" after a quick google.

But you have posted "confused" on Dirty Harry's side arm....Perhaps info may just tweak your gray cells...After all it is good to talk and learn something eh...

[tonysilly]

Why where the tourist police there? Giving out 1,000bht ticket for smoking? 

[HAKAPALITA]

[ZAKY]

He deserves a big fine of about 500 thai baht! 

[kcpattaya]

Interesting weapon-discussion.

...not 

[Kieran00001]

15 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

It isn't easy to have a licenced gun and you have not seen that every Thai person has one, licenced or not.

 

Yeah, sure.  You have to be over 20, not been in prison in the last 5 years, be able bodied and of sound mind, be employed, lived at your address for at least 6 months, never been involved in any civil unrest and most importantly, you need to have 1000 baht.  What did you think was difficult or were you just shooting your mouth off again without having a clue what you were talking about?

[SpeakeasyThai]

2 hours ago, hansnl said:

It's not a big weapon, also.

It's just a revolver, suitable to fire .357 and .38, which is around 9 mm.

.38 about the same power as a 9mm, .357 more powerful.

But only 6 cartridges in the weapon.

 

 

Still, its a big gun when in the hands of a small man child.

[Kieran00001]

14 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

All the firearms "experts" are out in force derailing this thread, posting their irrelevant "information" after a quick google.

 

Better than spreading misinformation, something you are far from innocent of.

[transam]

1 minute ago, kcpattaya said:

Interesting weapon-discussion.

...not 

I feel the same about i phones....?

[Formaleins]

2 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

 

That's not a small weapon.  Thank God nobody was hurt and the hostage negotiators had the wit to call the gunmans' father....

 

 

They are not necessarily a Dirty Harry Special you know! Some are easily concealed.

 

 

 

 

[observer90210]

I thought this happened in some terrorist state in the world where foreigners are regularly targetted by fanatics....but no....it did happen in Thailand. 

 

But wait !...please, the shooter was not a pure Thai...he surely had some awful foreigner connections from a neighbouring country,  so please tourists, come back...spend more of your money and of course, then leave !

[Kerryd]

1 hour ago, Falcon said:

Are you serious? A .357 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and your saying it’s not a big gun??? Try facing someone head on when this ‘small gun’ is being brandished about, especially by someone high on drugs and see just how small it is!!

Lol - are you serious ? "A .357, the most powerful handgun in the world ?"
Plenty of .44 Magnums and .45 cal and .454 (Casull's) and .50 cal Desert Eagle (or Smith & Wesson) handguns that would dispute (and win) that argument easily. There's even a .600 "Nitro Express" handgun.

I have (not in Thailand) 9mm, 10mm and .357 handguns (and a wee little .22 the size of a pack of cigarettes and almost as deadly) and used to shoot competitively (for a short period of time).

Friend of mine had a Desert Eagle .44 Magnum he bought when they first came out. That was a frikken "big gun". Made my Colt Delta Elite 10mm and Ruger GP-100 .357 look tiny by comparison.

But when you are looking into the barrel of any pistol (or rifle) being held by an angry person that may be willing to use it, it looks huge no matter the calibre. I've had a .22 rifle pointed at my head by someone who was drunk and whether or not it was a "big gun" never crossed my mind. (I found out after that it was loaded and there was a round in the chamber.)

 

Most people have little or no experience with firearms, especially on the "receiving" end. Most of their "knowledge" comes from the movies. The same movies that use "magic magazines that never empty" and use bullets that can be stopped by any regular table, car door or house wall.

 

Reality is a whole lot different than the movies.
 

[dluek]

Spent a week on Railay last month. Beautiful but there is something strange about it. Dark inland footpaths, weed smoke everywhere (not just in Tonsai like it used to be), no visible police presence at all. Some will remember how last year a young American woman almost died there after falling off a cliff while fleeing a sexual predator, who then assaulted her when she was lying on the ground badly injured. I encountered lots of nice people who live there, but also some weirdos. 

[Rhys]

...seeing a pattern..... Cut off a motorcyclist...

[Lamkyong]

2 hours ago, hansnl said:

It's not a big weapon, also.

It's just a revolver, suitable to fire .357 and .38, which is around 9 mm.

.38 about the same power as a 9mm, .357 more powerful.

But only 6 cartridges in the weapon.

 

 

small or large  still capable of injury or death

[baansgr]

1 hour ago, Ugothai said:

why is it so easy to have a gun in thailand ?? what i see is that every thai people have a gun.....

Its not, and its also very expensive, however black market sidearms are widely available with or without history

[moe666]

2 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

Yet another crazy incident to dent the already fragile reputation of the Thai tourism industry. At least it was all resolved with no injuries or worse... 

Yes another nail in the coffin, that is the phrase writers on thai visa used for years to describe the Thai tourist industry well guess what stronger now than 10 years ago when that saying was popular

[ChangMaiSausage]

On ‎14‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 7:58 AM, cooked said:

The first place to should be the local Family Courts in your wife's (and yours, otherwise it ain't going to happen) province. The Thai father will have to give permission or you will have to give proof of abandonment.

A long process, involving money especially if the Thai father gets a sniff of what's happening.

Good luck.

 

2 hours ago, hansnl said:

It's not a big weapon, also.

It's just a revolver, suitable to fire .357 and .38, which is around 9 mm.

.38 about the same power as a 9mm, .357 more powerful.

But only 6 cartridges in the weapon.

 

 

Can still kill you irrelevant of the size

[Easy Come Easy Go]

3 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

Yet another crazy incident to dent the already fragile reputation of the Thai tourism industry. At least it was all resolved with no injuries or worse... 

I was talking with my gf earlier today, and she mentioned to me how the tourism industry is down this year in quite a big way (she works in travel and tourism) and also here in Hua Hin, the latest 'high season' has been very poor indeed. Many restaurants and places around town are seeing a lot less business, that's for sure

I think there are many reasons for this, not just one, but for sure incidents like this don't help. The main one however I feel is the price of every day things, it has gone up a lot int he last 10 years, and tourists are preferring cheaper places, that are equally as pleasant or more so 

[ttrd]

RE - Clearly high on drugs he was taken into custody at Ao Nang police station.

He told police that after taking drugs he suffered a paranoid attack believing that people were out to get him.

 

Where is Taksin, the only Thai leader up to date who managed to reduce the countrys drug issues to a minimum….

[dufusdonald]

30 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Yeah, sure.  You have to be over 20, not been in prison in the last 5 years, be able bodied and of sound mind, be employed, lived at your address for at least 6 months, never been involved in any civil unrest and most importantly, you need to have 1000 baht.  What did you think was difficult or were you just shooting your mouth off again without having a clue what you were talking about?

Are  you sure "being of sound mind" is a qualification?

[anon789561]

either ice or yaba made him go all prang like that. bloody scourge. should have sat home and had a joint mate. the only thing you'd be attacking then is multiple bags of cheetos

[anon789561]

19 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Its not, and its also very expensive, however black market sidearms are widely available with or without history

why is it not? it is easy. plenty of gun shops 

 

[55Jay]

1 hour ago, Falcon said:

Are you serious? A .357 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and your saying it’s not a big gun??? Try facing someone head on when this ‘small gun’ is being brandished about, especially by someone high on drugs and see just how small it is!!

Fair point, weakened a bit by the technical fault therein.  Even Hollywood's Dirty Harry character got it wrong when he famously claimed his .44 magnum was the most powerful handgun in the world.  

[smotherb]

2 hours ago, Ugothai said:

why is it so easy to have a gun in thailand ?? what i see is that every thai people have a gun.....

Their laws allow it and there is a significant black market for illegal weapons.

[Wake Up]

1 hour ago, Falcon said:

Are you serious? A .357 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and your saying it’s not a big gun??? Try facing someone head on when this ‘small gun’ is being brandished about, especially by someone high on drugs and see just how small it is!!

Not the most powerful handgun in the world. There are 40 caliber hand guns and custom built 50 caliber. 

 

Reality is you should be more afraid of  a person with a shotgun. Shotguns are easy to fire and more accurate and deadly. The 357 has a upward lift that is hard to control if you are drunk or high and that is why they miss. Unless you practice they will miss more likely with a 357 than with a 38 or any shotgun.  As for the 22 bullet guns they are mostly harmless unless you get hit in the eye or are a squirrel. 

[smotherb]

1 hour ago, Falcon said:

Are you serious? A .357 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and your saying it’s not a big gun??? Try facing someone head on when this ‘small gun’ is being brandished about, especially by someone high on drugs and see just how small it is!!

Well, that Dirty Harry line was for a .44 magnum, not a .357. But you are right, it is not a small round and it is not good to face one head-on, especially if you are unarmed.

[Andaman Al]

3 hours ago, hansnl said:

It's not a big weapon, also.

It's just a revolver, suitable to fire .357 and .38, which is around 9 mm.

.38 about the same power as a 9mm, .357 more powerful.

But only 6 cartridges in the weapon.

 

 

It will blow your frakking head clean off, it really is big enough. It won't fit in your pocket either. I doubt the 7 hostages were thinking "only two bullets left" they were thinking "he can still kill two of us stone dead - maybe 4 if we stand one behind the other" ?

[toofarnorth]

2 hours ago, transam said:

Any country has folk with weapons under the bed......

Why would people be under beds with guns ?      Sorry Transam.