Thailand faces uncomfortable truths over gun culture

[webfact]

video screenshot

 

Thailand's issues around guns was in evidence nearly two months back when an ex-policeman killed 24 children at a childcare centre in a gun and knife attack. That attack in north-east Thailand shook the country into facing uncomfortable truths about its gun culture.

 

Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in south-east Asia, and after the Philippines has the second highest number of gun deaths.

 

The government has promised to enforce gun control laws more strictly including requiring a psychiatric evaluation before a licence is issued. But these measures come too late for some.

 

 DW News

2022-12-03

 

 

[Emdog]

I disagree: Thailand rarely if ever faces "uncomfortable truths".... think of insane level of highway deaths. Think of endemic corruption without responsibility in government. More examples if anyone cares to attach

[JCauto]

Doesn't facing something mean actually doing something about it? Doesn't look like there's any intention in that direction whatsoever.

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, Emdog said:

Think of endemic corruption without responsibility in government.

Everywhere, actually.

[Lacessit]

There seems to be an assumption a psychiatric evaluation will fix the problem.

People change, they may become radicalized or embittered by their experiences, and react accordingly. Or they can fudge their test results.

IMO it's a band-aid. Australia has proved when access to firearms is limited, the incidence of mass shootings and general gun deaths decreases significantly.

That's an unpalatable fact for gun nuts everywhere.

[Barnet1900]

There was a police demonstration at my kid's school recently of what to do if a gunman attacks.

 

It was a pantomime from start to finish. If they could have had the accompanying comedy sound effects they would. Absolute joke.

 

They take nothing seriously until after it happens (again)

[Forrests Father]

Enforce gun laws? By the police? I read an article recently about Thai policemen selling guns and ammunition on the black market. The guy who killed the kids was an ex-police officer with mental issues. But the number of illegal guns in LoS is probably higher than the number of guns registered. Good luck!

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, Forrests Father said:

Enforce gun laws? By the police? I read an article recently about Thai policemen selling guns and ammunition on the black market. The guy who killed the kids was an ex-police officer with mental issues. But the number of illegal guns in LoS is probably higher than the number of guns registered. Good luck!

And... what happens to the guns handed in at the ‘gun amnesty’ ????.. 

.... Of course, the BiB re-sell them on the black-market... quite a profitable enterprise !

[Matthew Peter]

5 hours ago, Emdog said:

I disagree: Thailand rarely if ever faces "uncomfortable truths".... think of insane level of highway deaths. Think of endemic corruption without responsibility in government. More examples if anyone cares to attach

What about cheating in schools and private schools cheating students and parents!

 

[Regyai]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

There seems to be an assumption a psychiatric evaluation will fix the problem.

People change, they may become radicalized or embittered by their experiences, and react accordingly. Or they can fudge their test results.

IMO it's a band-aid. Australia has proved when access to firearms is limited, the incidence of mass shootings and general gun deaths decreases significantly.

That's an unpalatable fact for gun nuts everywhere.

Nonsense

 

Even as kids we saw those silver screen cowboys, the good guys with white hats always prevailed over the baddies in black hats.

 

And for years the gun nuts of the USA have banged on about good guys with guns being what stops crime.

 

Which of course is why there is none there ????

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in south-east Asia, and after the Philippines has the second highest number of gun deaths.

That must be from legally held firearms statistics..

I wonder how many illegally firearms are held and not known about?

[scorecard]

18 hours ago, JCauto said:

Doesn't facing something mean actually doing something about it? Doesn't look like there's any intention in that direction whatsoever.

Good point and there's 2 issues:

 

- There the level of difficulty to pass the test to owna gun.

      and a totally separate subject

- The level of difficulty to buy a gun.

[mikebell]

It's the loss of face that Thais can't face.

[thesetat]

19 hours ago, Lacessit said:

There seems to be an assumption a psychiatric evaluation will fix the problem.

People change, they may become radicalized or embittered by their experiences, and react accordingly. Or they can fudge their test results.

IMO it's a band-aid. Australia has proved when access to firearms is limited, the incidence of mass shootings and general gun deaths decreases significantly.

That's an unpalatable fact for gun nuts everywhere.

Ohh come on... We all know the real issue is not about mental competence to own a gun. Most thais would pass this test, UNTIL, they lose face or lose a gf to a falang or something else that makes them snap or makes them responsible for their actions. 

[vandeventer]

20 minutes ago, thesetat said:

Ohh come on... We all know the real issue is not about mental competence to own a gun. Most thais would pass this test, UNTIL, they lose face or lose a gf to a falang or something else that makes them snap or makes them responsible for their actions. 

Guns don't kill,. people do, this loss of face is very wrong as we are all humans and we all make mistakes. It would be very hard to know the mental state of anyone applying for a gun license

[Dogmatix]

Just got a new Por. 3 permit to buy a .308 custom rifle for long distance competition shooting out to 1,000 yards. No psychiatric test or anything else new, as these changes are only being discussed.  Nothing has changed so far. Permits are more or less "shall issue" in Bangkok, if you have all the qualifications, but all the provinces are different and outside Bkk you have to apply to your district office which is usually more difficult, whereas Bkk has a central licensing office and district offices are not involved. Provincial governors are permitted to set different standards for issuing gun permits, depending on how they view the situation in their province, but can only make them stricter, not more lenient than in the current 1947 Firearms Act. Many provinces, e.g. Phuket have a blanket ban on permits for foreigners but that is not the case in Bkk which just follows the national law as in the Firearms Act which has hardly been updated since 1947.  A recent attempt to amend it under the coup government failed. One of the proposed amendments was a proposed ban on new registrations to foreigners, despite no record of guns registered to foreigners ever having been used in a crime.

[Orinoco]

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

 It would be very hard to know the mental state of anyone applying for a gun license

I got a pretty good idea, when it comes down to the locals here. 

[Orinoco]

20 hours ago, Regyai said:

Nonsense

 

Even as kids we saw those silver screen cowboys, the good guys with white hats always prevailed over the baddies in black hats.

 

And for years the gun nuts of the USA have banged on about good guys with guns being what stops crime.

 

Which of course is why there is none there ????

Not sure if i can post this, but have a look it's well funny about gun ownership. 

watch both parts,  1 and 2

 

https://youtu.be/0rR9IaXH1M0

 

 

[jacko45k]

19 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Guns don't kill,. people do, this loss of face is very wrong as we are all humans and we all make mistakes. It would be very hard to know the mental state of anyone applying for a gun license

But we would all be safer if they only had access to a stick of celery. That 1st sentence really is a tired old chestnut!

 

Surely wanting to have a gun is indicative that one has issues?

[markhines]

As for the mental issue, no one can be sure that problems will not appear several years after the permit is issued. Initial verification is of course necessary, but how to further control the condition of people who have access to gun ownership?