Thailand looks to upgrade Firearms ownership laws

[webfact]

Rachada Dhnadirek

 

The draft weapons act, which mandates that all privately held firearms and ammunition be registered with a government body, has received approval from the Cabinet.

 

The draft act was passed on Tuesday, according to deputy government spokesman Rachada Dhnadirek, in response to an increase in crimes involving firearms.

She continued by saying that the ineffectiveness of the existing policies necessitated this revision. Police are not authorized by law to search suspects who might be in possession of weapons.

 

Full story: https://bangkokone.news/thailand-looks-to-upgrade-firearms-ownership-laws/

 

-- © Copyright BANGKOK ONE NEWS 2023-03-17

 

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[Captain Monday]

All should be registered and cross referenced with a criminal records check.

 

A requirement for mandatory safety and secure storage training, yearly recurrent training and psychological checks should also be implemented with all costs born by the user.

[cdemundo]

1 hour ago, Captain Monday said:

All should be registered and cross referenced with a criminal records check.

 

A requirement for mandatory safety and secure storage training, yearly recurrent training and psychological checks should also be implemented with all costs born by the user.

"all costs born by the user."

 

This is the part I think is most important.

Whatever is implemented I think the user should foot the bill.

[digger70]

According to her, an inspection can only be carried out if there is solid proof that the suspect is in possession of firearms and intends to use them in a crime. 

 

How in Satans Name are they going to determine that.

This is open for wide interpretation .

[Olav Seglem]

Not allowed to check-how "thai-style"....

They should be allowed to check anytime for weapon, and if found-without licence, automatic being confiscated and the "owner" given a hefty fine.

"Its about education-stupid" :-)

 

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

She continued by saying that the ineffectiveness of the existing policies necessitated this revision. Police are not authorized by law to search suspects who might be in possession of weapons

I find that surprising. They seem to believe they have the authority to stop people in taxis and go through their pockets and wallets and purses, also well known they hassle tourist around Asok and go through wallets and pockets. 

The police are simply ineffective!

[2baht]

Do you think anyone will cheat and not register their gun???

[Gandtee]

3 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

All should be registered and cross referenced with a criminal records check.

 

A requirement for mandatory safety and secure storage training, yearly recurrent training and psychological checks should also be implemented with all costs born by the user.

Yeah. Right. What planet are you living on. This is Thailand.????

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The draft weapons act, which mandates that all privately held firearms and ammunition be registered with a government body, has received approval from the Cabinet.

Laughable.

[herfiehandbag]

50 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I find that surprising. They seem to believe they have the authority to stop people in taxis and go through their pockets and wallets and purses, also well known they hassle tourist around Asok and go through wallets and pockets. 

The police are simply ineffective!

I suspect that the Taxi and Asok shakedowns have no legal grounds, but are tolerated by the Police Senior Management as they lead to a steady income stream.

 

Like so many proposed and existing laws this one will probably never work, because: 1) it will never be implemented with any consistency, and 2) it will be ignored because it interferes with an income stream.

 

Because of the sophisticated and institutionalised pooling of incomes and share out pro rata scheme which operates within the force, this will be a nonstarter. Another law on the books, the books gathering dust on a police station bookshelf whilst day to day activities continue as normal.

[billy54]

Tit. So all should have licenses. Yep that'll work when many don't have licenses to drive and even more to ride. 

[BKKBike09]

Legally-held firearms are already registered.

 

This is talking about unregistered weapons. The new bill proposes an amnesty to give people who own unregistered weapons 180 days to either register them properly or hand them in. No criminal prosecution during this period. The ones that could be registered will probably be ones that belonged to a deceased family member and have been lying around the house since the owner died.

 

I predict a lot of 'Thai Pradit' (locally made guns eg BB gun adaptations) being handed in, and not a lot of 'real guns'.

[PETERTHEEATER]

1 hour ago, 2baht said:

Do you think anyone will cheat and not register their gun???

Yes, many politicians.

[Guderian]

On 3/17/2023 at 3:46 AM, Captain Monday said:

psychological checks should also be implemented

Sounds sensible, and the end-result would be the issuing of of firearm licences in numbers comparable to the UK, lol.

[Dogmatix]

Poorly written article. There is no time to pass any new laws anyway, as Parliament will be dissolved any day now. So it will up to the new government. The last bill to amend the Firearms Act got shelved by the coup government which had absolute power with no parliament. Not how this bill is different from the one shelved by the first Prayut government but I think that one also had the 180 day amnesty for illegal guns and ammo. So it is probably cut and pasted from that. In that case it is not a response to recent shootings which were mainly done by police and soldiers. I am sure the bill does nothing to restrict their gun ownership.

[Dogmatix]

On 3/17/2023 at 3:46 AM, Captain Monday said:

All should be registered and cross referenced with a criminal records check.

 

A requirement for mandatory safety and secure storage training, yearly recurrent training and psychological checks should also be implemented with all costs born by the user.

The first part already happens. Applicants for a Por 3 license to acquire a firearm are fingerprinted and checked for criminal records.

 

The other stuff doesn’t happen and cannot easily be made to work effectively in Thailand due to corruption. Indeed some applicants with multiple licenses already have been asked to photographs of how they store their weapons. But these were only people who applied themselves, rather than through an agent or gunshop, and omitted to pay the express fee.

 

Thaksin’s minister of the interior Sanan, a man noted for his high level of corruption, took the Bkk gun licensing from the police as he said there was too much corruption. He moved it under his personal control at the ministry in a department that was oddly set up for hotel licensing. Unsurprisingly the corruption continued unabated at the new hotel licensing office which later dropped the hotel business.