Bringing A Handgun Into Thailand From Usa

[Swanky]

Real men don't need guns

[KKK]

No handguns in Thailand please....we have enough of a problem with violence on TV and in VDO games, let's not perpetuate the problem further. As for defending yourself; stun guns, pepper spray, a well trained dog, baseball bats are all viable alternatives to firearms...

As a kid growing up in UK during the 50s and 60s I have little or no memories of the kind of violence we see in todays society. We need to take a long hard look at what has caused our present violent, selfish, inconsiderate society and do something about it before it becomes an epidemic if it hasn't already become one. The American so called "right to bear arms" does nothing to help and feeds the "violence breeds violence" adage.

Make Love Not War

Flower Person

[colonelsing]

When I was in Thailand I never owned a gun. In America I have quite a few. In Thailand there are just too many complications for a foreigner to own a gun, even though I could have had one in my house if I wanted, or so I was told. As a prely practical issue, no one who knows anything about self-defense will advocate pepper spray, stun guns, or baseball bats as an alternative to firearms for home defense. A well trained guard dog is probably the best substitute, but still not as effective as a gun. My opinion is people should have the right to own a gun, but Thailand is a different country and if one chooses to live there, as I did, I think it is best to not own a gun. That is just my opinion. If gun ownership is that important to you, the best bet is to live somewhere where it is less of a problem to do so. As far as guns in Thailand, they are all over the place. legal and otherwise. And gun deaths are commonplace there, so I must question how so many people there are so oblivious to this. As for the trite cliches like "make love not war, and "real men don't need guns", this kind of babbling has been going on forever and makes just as much sense today as always. Noone hates war more than a soldier. But the fact of life is there has always been war and always will be, and someone has to fight them. And real men sometrimes do need guns. That is just the world we live in. Sad to say. I never thought I would hear this peace love talk from someone named KKK though.

[andyc2006]

Fighting for all that is good and justice, the American way.

And you can keep it.

This is crass ----- perhaps worse it is brainless.

It's quite ok for sassienie to make such a statement, given that he/she likely lives in a country that replied, "you can keep it," when offered aid from the US, and it's probably a country that doesn't have any problems of its own.

Oh wait, that's not possible, since every country on Earth has received assistance from the US, despite its brief existence.

You'd think that just maybe, the US has done something right in their history. I guess not though, based on the tone towards it by all the posters here.

[ddeellbbooyy]

I have 2 dogs a Alsatian and a Rottweiler the best protection every, if you train a dog properly you have no problem with them and the thai people are really scared of them you don't need a gun get a dog

[m02]

What is it with you Yanks and guns?

Lets see: the militia at Lexington and Concord used their own firearms, as was the case with most of the Continental Army troops when they waved good-bye to the redcoats; when Hitler and Co. was standing on the Channel looking over at the White Cliffs, the brits called up the yanks and said 'Hey, we don't have any guns, can you send us some, pleaseeeeeeeeeee!'. When the Japanese peasants got tired of getting whacked by the nearest Samurai who didn't like the way they held their heads, a bunch of Japanese nutters hired some Yankee mercs to train a rabble of peasants in how to shoot and lo and behold, no more Samurai. More recently in Burma when the military thugs tried to enslave the population, kill the monks and other peaceful protesters, the people grabbed their weapons and .... oh... sorry... my mistake - the monks died and the rest are still slaves......

There is enough nutters in America walking about with guns, please dont bring that culture over here.

A few years back in Chiangmai a nice new fancy Mercedes pulled out onto the road without stopping and nearly ran over a dumb farang tootling along on a motorcycle. Said farang nutter flipped off the Thai driver, who promptly stopped his car, pulled out his pistol and shot said nutter farang dead on the spot. Back about the same time, a long time farang inhabitant of CM was walking along a street when he fell down dead with a bullet in his head -he left lovely local wife a large bank account. North of town, a Greenie Tree Hugger type had a slight running disagreement with a neighbor over the treatment of some critter and said Greenie nutter was found dead from lead poisioning later. Then there was the DEA agent who was another nutter that got himself shot to death in CM, and ........ well never mind. Lets just thank the stars above that the only people allowed firearms in LOS are the elite, their guards, and the criminals - just like Europe. The world will be soooo much better off when those yank nutters are finally disarmed - its just that ..... who the devil is going to do it?? Oh, wait... sassienie, you'll come over and save us won't you? Of course you will, you brave soul, you have the strength of ten for your heart is pure, and the courage of your convictions will overcome all to save us from our selves. I feel so good knowing we have you to look out for us... nutter....

[StanleyOgden]

Anyone who thinks Thailand is a non-gun society either is new here or never read the newspapers or seen the local news. Illegal guns are much, much easier to obtain here than in most of the US. If I got cut off driving in US, I would be quicker to approach the other driver outside my car than here. I think to do this here presents a much greater chance of getting your head blown off than in the US. And how can anyone logically compare someone having a shotgun in their home to defend their family with a country stockpiling anthrax or nerve gas. This is the most ridiculous argument I have seen yet. Most WMD are not "dissuasive." In fact many WMD such as biological agents and various forms of poison gas are illegal and the people who control them do not even admit of their existence, so how is that "dissuasive?" They are only used to indiscriminately kill a large number of people. And as for the police being so highly trained with these weapons, one has only to watch thye news footage of a recent public disturbance in this country to see this is also not neccessarily the case.

Many of the now dead, mostly elderly farang who habitually fall off balconies in Pattaya would no doubt be alive now if they had been armed, and protected themselves instead of relying on the state to take care of them. I am not criticizing the Thai police here, as no police force in the world can be everywhere. At some point you have to take care of yourself.

Thailand is very much a gun society...you can get a cheap Chinese revolver in Chiang Mai for less than 2000 baht...whether you will still have a hand after pulling the trigger is an entirely different subject!

[gonzobrains]

hey bassmaster50,

i think i am learning the same stuff you are. it's amazing how i managed through life all these years without this newfound learning.

jeff

This whole discussion is very informative. I have learned so much.I now know that:

1-Burglars are all really nice people, and if they break into your house, just give them whatever they want and they will surely just leave and say, "have a nice day", and not care that you are a witness who can put them in prison.

2-Having a shotgun in my house is exactly the same as Iran having nuclear weapons.

3-Having a locked gun in the house is stupid, but turning a couple of killer attack dogs loose on my proerty makes good sense.

What was the original question, again? I think it had something to do with Halliburton and US having bad karma, but I thought it was something about handguns. Or maybe it was about Saddam Hussein buying rottweilers from the US.

[John_Rambo]

the thai people are really scared of them you don't need a gun get a dog

The Thai people will just poison them if they're intending on paying you a visit.

[bonobo]

What is it with you Yanks and guns?

Lets see: the militia at Lexington and Concord used their own firearms, as was the case with most of the Continental Army troops when they waved good-bye to the redcoats; when Hitler and Co. was standing on the Channel looking over at the White Cliffs, the brits called up the yanks and said 'Hey, we don't have any guns, can you send us some, pleaseeeeeeeeeee!'. When the Japanese peasants got tired of getting whacked by the nearest Samurai who didn't like the way they held their heads, a bunch of Japanese nutters hired some Yankee mercs to train a rabble of peasants in how to shoot and lo and behold, no more Samurai. More recently in Burma when the military thugs tried to enslave the population, kill the monks and other peaceful protesters, the people grabbed their weapons and .... oh... sorry... my mistake - the monks died and the rest are still slaves......

There is enough nutters in America walking about with guns, please dont bring that culture over here.

A few years back in Chiangmai a nice new fancy Mercedes pulled out onto the road without stopping and nearly ran over a dumb farang tootling along on a motorcycle. Said farang nutter flipped off the Thai driver, who promptly stopped his car, pulled out his pistol and shot said nutter farang dead on the spot. Back about the same time, a long time farang inhabitant of CM was walking along a street when he fell down dead with a bullet in his head -he left lovely local wife a large bank account. North of town, a Greenie Tree Hugger type had a slight running disagreement with a neighbor over the treatment of some critter and said Greenie nutter was found dead from lead poisioning later. Then there was the DEA agent who was another nutter that got himself shot to death in CM, and ........ well never mind. Lets just thank the stars above that the only people allowed firearms in LOS are the elite, their guards, and the criminals - just like Europe. The world will be soooo much better off when those yank nutters are finally disarmed - its just that ..... who the devil is going to do it?? Oh, wait... sassienie, you'll come over and save us won't you? Of course you will, you brave soul, you have the strength of ten for your heart is pure, and the courage of your convictions will overcome all to save us from our selves. I feel so good knowing we have you to look out for us... nutter....

I am in the camp as not feeling I need a gun here. However, I have to admit, this is not a bad post at all! 

[gonzobrains]

i agree. great post. but as they say, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. media coverage only shows the few crazies in america with guns. you never hear about the good guys because, well, it's just not as interesting and/or the liberal media does not want to promote them.

What is it with you Yanks and guns?

Lets see: the militia at Lexington and Concord used their own firearms, as was the case with most of the Continental Army troops when they waved good-bye to the redcoats; when Hitler and Co. was standing on the Channel looking over at the White Cliffs, the brits called up the yanks and said 'Hey, we don't have any guns, can you send us some, pleaseeeeeeeeeee!'. When the Japanese peasants got tired of getting whacked by the nearest Samurai who didn't like the way they held their heads, a bunch of Japanese nutters hired some Yankee mercs to train a rabble of peasants in how to shoot and lo and behold, no more Samurai. More recently in Burma when the military thugs tried to enslave the population, kill the monks and other peaceful protesters, the people grabbed their weapons and .... oh... sorry... my mistake - the monks died and the rest are still slaves......

There is enough nutters in America walking about with guns, please dont bring that culture over here.

A few years back in Chiangmai a nice new fancy Mercedes pulled out onto the road without stopping and nearly ran over a dumb farang tootling along on a motorcycle. Said farang nutter flipped off the Thai driver, who promptly stopped his car, pulled out his pistol and shot said nutter farang dead on the spot. Back about the same time, a long time farang inhabitant of CM was walking along a street when he fell down dead with a bullet in his head -he left lovely local wife a large bank account. North of town, a Greenie Tree Hugger type had a slight running disagreement with a neighbor over the treatment of some critter and said Greenie nutter was found dead from lead poisioning later. Then there was the DEA agent who was another nutter that got himself shot to death in CM, and ........ well never mind. Lets just thank the stars above that the only people allowed firearms in LOS are the elite, their guards, and the criminals - just like Europe. The world will be soooo much better off when those yank nutters are finally disarmed - its just that ..... who the devil is going to do it?? Oh, wait... sassienie, you'll come over and save us won't you? Of course you will, you brave soul, you have the strength of ten for your heart is pure, and the courage of your convictions will overcome all to save us from our selves. I feel so good knowing we have you to look out for us... nutter....

I am in the camp as not feeling I need a gun here. However, I have to admit, this is not a bad post at all!

[CTM]

keep that american made shit out of this country and that house i say.

that, and you wouldn't be able to get one in anyway.

Glocks are made in Austria and a number of European countries have higher levels of gun ownership than America but don't let facts and reality get in the way of a good bigoted tirade.

[CTM]

I spoke with my gf about this.  I told her when we retired in Thailand and live in the province, I asked her to buy a pump action shotgun.  She said that she doesn't know how to shoot a gun (I'll teach her when she moves to the US later next year).

Pump action shotgun is the way to go.  If someone is breaking into your house, all you have to do is rack the slide  and the burglar will most like go away.  it's a very distinct/universal sound (i.e. oh shi*...maybe I don't want to go in there  ).  

I woke up about 3 a.m. one morning to the sounds of two guys nearly beating to death a poor bloke on my front lawn. The police had never responded sooner than 45 minutes to an hour to previous calls for help. I made the useless phone call, but when the sounds of the beaten one began to sound desperate (like strangulation), I did exactly as suggested above (weapon not even loaded). The attackers ran off and I was able to give first aid until the authorities arrived (90 minutes later).

One life saved, I believe. How much more relieved I might have been had I thwarted an attacker inside my house, attacking a family member.

The argument is pretty strong both ways.

Brits don't believe one has the right to defend one's life much less the life of loved ones or strangers even inside the home. The correct response when confronted with asocial behavior is to beg them not to harm you as you help load all your stuff into their auto or to ask if they would like you to get the video camera to film them as they rape and murder your wife or molest your children. Anything less is a serious violation of their rights as criminals and will be dealt with harshly by local authorities.

[CTM]

One last point--the British troops were fighting for King and country, not the Queen.

same difference, your king was a fairy nancy boy.

[Crushdepth]

Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms

An interesting mix

[MikeSR]

please leave the guns to the professionals

too many accidental gun death in this world

[lovinglife]

Let me just say I certainly don't hate America or most Americans, its just the loony shoot em' up brigade I hate. Living in their deluded world of gunfights at the Bkk corral, and making half witted comments about kicking the colonials off the continent. Unless you're African or Native American you are a probably a descendant from Europe.

As for who's going to come and take the guns of us? Your own people is the answer. Youngsters are getting better education and only Hicksville will want to hang on to it's guns. I can accept controlled ownership of shotguns but there is not a single argument about handguns that stands up to scrutiny.

Congratulations to Barack Obama! A sure sign that things are on the up in the former colony.

[Mozikillah]

The culture is already here. Thailand has 11 times more murders with firearms than the USA. The only places with a worse murder rate by firearms than Thailand are South Africa and Colombia.

And your source of this info ?

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_...s-with-firearms

Edited November 7, 2008 by Mozikillah

[Hairy]

I don't know why you'd bother paying out the arse for a gun when you can make one for the price of a few pieces of water pipe. Honestly, people, they are just not that hard to build.

The most trivial is going to be nothing more than a pipe, a nail, and a pipe-cap with a hole drilled through it. You can do it for 12ga shotgun ammunition or handgun ammunition. If you want to get fancy and spend some time in a machine shop, you can make a Sten type machine gun in a few hours. The barrels are smoothbore, but that only matters if you're doing 100-yard competitions, not if you're wanting to blow away burglars at ten paces, even skinny Thai burglars.

Google "british pipe gun homemade" (no quotes) to find designs made on British standard pipe sizes. The poor bastard who came up with that one ended up in prison for daring to publish it.

[Hairy]

Switzerland has the highest suicide rate in the 'first world', American deaths from gun crime far outstrip anywhere in Europe.

How does this make you safe?

Most American deaths from gun crime are drug dealers shooting other drug dealers. IIRC, they comprise about 75% of shootings. If their aim were a little better, they might be able to make a real dent in the overall crime rate.

On the issue of owning a firearm in the US, I am sure you need to have a social security number as part of the registraion process ?, so as a foreigner, entering the US, as a toursit, they would not have one..correct ? so how could they purchase a firearm legally?

In the majority of states, U.S. citizens can still buy and sell firearms to each other privately without registration or background checks. A background check (and often, background registration) is required now when purchasing through a federally licensed dealer. States vary, with at least IL, CA, NJ, CT, and NY having registration and/or owner licensing requirements; these also, I'm sure just coincidentally, happen to be high crime-rate states.

For several years -- at LEAST since shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, but I believe predating that -- noncitizens with permanent resident status are required to get approval prior to purchasing a firearm. I don't know the process for visitors/tourists as opposed to permanent residents, but have heard it's difficult; IIRC, you have to get an export license or else deal with a licensed exporter, but I may be mistaken.

In this instance she shot the right people, but once the precedence is set with things like this, its only a matter of time before innocent people are getting their balls blown off, killed or maimed

As did one of the chairs of the "Million Mom March" (an anti-gun bunch of loons) in D.C., who shot and paralyzed a boy, whom she thought was a gang member who had assaulted her kid, but of course the idiot got the wrong boy.

Isn't it ironic that the anti-gun loon turned out to be in illegal possession of a handgun (none were allowed in D.C. -- until after the June 2008 "Heller v. D.C." Supreme Court case, which D.C. is still dragging its feet over implementing -- which naturally means that D.C. has one of the highest crime rates in the U.S.), and then used it to go vigilante and shoot the wrong person? Well, at least the MMM got to turn around and use this as a reason to call for more gun control!

Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms

An interesting mix

I'll bring the chips!

(Hint: the primary purpose of the agency is, or at least was, TAX ENFORCEMENT. This is why they engaged in an armed air-and-land assault against the Branch Davidians -- because the BATF was afraid that the Davidians might not have paid a $200 tax fee.)

[HorseDoctor]

So, can foreigners own handguns, within their own homes, or not? What about shotguns?

[HorseDoctor]

The culture is already here. Thailand has 11 times more murders with firearms than the USA. The only places with a worse murder rate by firearms than Thailand are South Africa and Colombia.

And your source of this info ?

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_...s-with-firearms

HOly Cow , that's not even per capita , but over twice the murders at over 20,000

US at just under 10,000

per capita is Thailand is # 3 ,

USA # 8

[soundman]

As per usual with gun topics, this one has gone completely off topic into the areas of murder rates, crime per capita & debate about gun safety.

Hopefully the OP can find the answer to his question amongst the 200 odd replies.

Closed.