Thailand's latest shooting reveals a disturbing pattern

Thailand's latest shooting reveals a disturbing pattern

Friday's school shooting in Nonthaburi was not an isolated incident. While indiscriminate mass shootings remain relatively uncommon in Thailand, the country has experienced a series of high-profile gun attacks in recent years — including several involving schools, young people and legally or illegally obtained firearms.

The latest attack, in which a 14-year-old student killed seven people at his school and at the home he shared with his grandparents, has prompted Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to promise tougher restrictions on carrying guns in public.

Major shootings since 2020

The recent history includes some of Thailand's worst episodes of gun violence.

In February 2026, a 17-year-old allegedly stole a gun from police and opened fire at a high school in Hat Yai, killing one person and wounding two others before being arrested.

In July 2025, a gunman killed five people at a fresh-food market in Bangkok before taking his own life. Police said the attack was linked to a personal grudge.

In October 2023, another 14-year-old opened fire inside a Bangkok shopping mall, killing two people. His handgun had originally been manufactured to fire blanks but had been modified to use live ammunition.

In October 2022,The deadliest recent attack came in when a former police sergeant killed 37 people, including two dozen toddlers at a daycare centre in northeastern Thailand. He subsequently killed his wife and stepson before taking his own life.

Thailand's two deadliest attacks

The 2022 massacre followed another devastating shooting in February 2020, when a soldier angry over a land dispute went on a 16-hour rampage in Nakhon Ratchasima. At least 29 people were killed and dozens wounded before the gunman was shot dead by security forces.

And in January 2020, three people — including a two-year-old child — were killed during a gold-shop robbery in Lopburi province.

Thailand has one of Asia's highest levels of civilian gun ownership, although mass shootings remain relatively rare compared with some other countries.

The succession of major incidents is nevertheless likely to strengthen pressure on the government to tighten controls. Anutin has already promised new restrictions on carrying firearms in public, but the latest attack also raises a more difficult question: how do you prevent a teenager from gaining access to a gun that was reportedly legally owned by a family member?

That may prove to be the most important issue in the debate that follows.

SOURCE AFP