Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has rejected suggestions that teachers should be allowed to carry firearms following the deadly shooting at Debsinin Nonthaburi School.

The attack, carried out by a 14-year-old male student, left seven people dead inside the school, including the gunman himself. The student had also shot dead his grandparents before the rampage, while more than 20 people were injured.

Teachers are not law enforcement officers

Anutin said there was no basis for allowing teachers to carry guns, stressing that they are not law enforcement officers authorised to possess firearms in that capacity.

"Such a proposal shouldn't even have been made," he said.

He also urged people not directly involved in the case not to assume that the student targeted teachers because of bullying. Parents were warned to ensure that guns are kept beyond the reach of children.

The comments come as the shooting has raised questions about access to firearms and security at educational establishments.

Tighter controls discussed

The Prime Minister said he had discussed introducing stricter gun-control laws with Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilapraphan.

He again stressed the importance of checkpoints to stop people carrying firearms in public places when they have no official duty requiring them to do so.

Rules already cover shooting ranges

Anutin also said the Department of Provincial Administration already regulates shooting ranges. Under those rules, ammunition stored at a range must be bought from that facility.

He said shooting practice and training were not a problem when the regulations were correctly followed. However, firearms should not be taken out of the home or brought into public places.

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Join the discussion?

10 August 2026

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11 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has rejected suggestions that teachers should be allowed to carry firearms

Parents were warned to ensure that guns are kept beyond the reach of children.

One gun incident in schools for ages and idiots talk about arming teachers.

Lock up the parents who fail to keep their guns in lockable place

Anutin' getting sensible ist the second biggest shock here🤔

Silly idea, only just got them to put away their canes.

"... Such a proposal shouldn't even have been made..."

I'm with him!

Thank goodness that Anutin showed some commonsense.

Arming teachers is a nonsensical idea that escalates gun violence instead of tackling root causes.

As a teacher I am pleasantly surprised by Anutin rejecting such an insane idea. I have no wish or desire to ever have a gun, the idea is abhorrent. They need to focus on effective mental health in schools (students & staff), and effective security in Thai schools.

Edited August 10Aug 10 by MarkBR
there was a typographic error

A over reaction arming Shool teachers if there was ever one 😱

Only in Thailand can this sort of shocking idea could have come up in the first place

Teachers with guns.

Wonder how well that would go down,

When they get in there cars and drive home after school,

and some other driver cuts in front of them.

Edited August 10Aug 10 by rocketboy2

I agree with the Prime Minister. Armed teachers may be tempted to bump off unruly pupils.😉

Off topic posts removed @sungod this is the Thai news section. The topic is “PM Anutin rejects calls to arm teachers“ and not about US gun crime rates.

I don't think arming teachers has ever been a practical consideration. Where would they keep the guns? It would be quite scary for teachers to carry guns on their person in a holster, where they are readily accessible.

So if they're locked up safely that doesn't allow enough time to access them in the case of an emergency, more than likely. And you certainly wouldn't want to keep them anywhere with the students had access to them.

What's really astonishing is that the PM has actually made a correct decision for once.

Edited August 10Aug 10 by spidermike007

Last thing Thailand needs is more guns!

It’s almost impossible to try to stop this from happening again. You never really know who’s going to lose it one day and just start a shooting spree. Even if the teachers had guns, they wouldn’t have been able to stop this.

I’d definitely keep a couple tasers in the principals office locked up in case someone went mental on campus or with a knife, but even then I doubt they’d have time to do anything before the damage has been done. Unfortunately kids these days grow up with violent video games and tough lives. It happens all over the world. So many kids are just desensitized by what they go through and see every day.

3 hours ago, shackleton said:

A over reaction arming Shool teachers if there was ever one 😱

Only in Thailand can this sort of shocking idea could have come up in the first place

Has previously been suggested for USA by some weirdos. Not a good solution there either.

Thai authorities should target suspected minors in every school and conduct checks on them regularly.

You do not have any legal right to order teachers to be armed with firearms.

Teachers as well as High Skill Professional in Education system are personnel for assignment to educate children -adults and not Security personnel to harm minors -adults even if they break the law.

Please do not downgrade the role of teachers - professors in educational community they are training personnel and not Security personnel to receive orders from irrelevant unresponsible politicians.

You are Prime Minister of a middle-income Asian country and not the Head of the Anti-Terrorism Squad SWAT.

Ask the parents of students if they accept teachers-professors carrying gun in classroom for the ..........protection of their children.

Police Officers have their duty and teachers - professors have their o.n.l.y free public education role.

I am Greek from Athens a former senior Offcer in Hellenic Air Force you are irrelevant to education system and it doesnt have to do if they are minors or adults. Both they are students.

Maestro you can change the "music" and you are at least homourous in your possible assumption to armed teachers - professors .......to protect students.

Have a nice and wonderful week!

Edited August 10Aug 10 by Paris333

Off topic posts about US gun violence removed @vangrop there is already a moderation about this above.

Gods sake address the elephant in the room - gun control - half the people with gun licence in Thailand have no legitimate need for one...also many previous cases here of lax police gun security protocols

Armed teachers... what a brainless idea!🤣🤣🤣

1 hour ago, UbonEagle said:

half the people with gun licence in Thailand have no legitimate need for one.

whats a legitimate need under thai law

Anutin, needs to remove the jackass who suggested it!

10 hours ago, shackleton said:

A over reaction arming Shool teachers if there was ever one 😱

Only in Thailand can this sort of shocking idea could have come up in the first place

Unfortunately Thailand is most certainly not the the only place that this shocking idea has been proposed. In fact, in a country that shall not be named, they not only prosed it, they acted on it and threw in some armed security guards into the bargain. Not everywhere, but some places in some states. …..oops, nearly named it then.

14 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Anutin' getting sensible ist the second biggest shock here🤔

Correct 100% I am in shock the 🤡 has actually said something sensible. I need a beer 😱

Only sensible thing he's said for a very long time.

If the government tries to go too far to highly restrict or ban guns for all of Thailand they run the risk of creating a high demand for a hot item. This is a bonanza for criminals. I remember years ago New York along with a few other States had a ban on handguns. Conviction for posession of a handgun was punishable by a year in prison, with no plea bargaining. It even stated this on the highway signs when you entered the State.

The strict laws meant criminals bought handguns from other criminals and one year in the ealy 1970s, it was posted that 69% of all homicides in New York were committed by guns smuggled into the state.

This is a tough problem for sure. So it comes down to the same question: What are the root causes of the young student's behavior to make him feel isolated and angry enough to commit such a horrible crime? It a societal issue in all likelihood.

When mass shootings happen repeatedly over a period of time, people become more frightened and want to buy guns to protect themselves and their families. So now you have even more guns.

Several years ago, the State of Texas the State Attorney General Ken Paxton proposed training and arming teachers as a means of protecting students in school. This never got off the ground.

Edited August 12Aug 12 by jingjai9

Good. Thailand needs less people with guns, not more. Considering the inflated ego of many teachers here, arming them would be a recipe for disaster.

3 hours ago, Myran said:

Good. Thailand needs less people with guns, not more. Considering the inflated ego of many teachers here, arming them would be a recipe for disaster.

I fully agree, arming teachers in Thailand would be insane.

Oh c'mon now, what could go wrong if a teacher went beserk. I mean we all know how sane and stable so many of these teachers are, the same ones who abuse children.😶‍🌫️ Sure, a small minority, but all it takes is 1, 2, 5, or 10 going postal.