Even his wife needs a permit, don't know if home protection is a reason for it to be granted. Otherwise every Thai who lives in a house would be legally armed. Jim

Every Thai of sufficient respectability and status - basically property owners and business operators certainly can legally own guns. They just ask something along the lines of "are you currently involved in any major disputes", and as long as the answer is no, you're in like Flynn.

Interesting stats here and here

Of course I'll be contrary here and state that as many humans as possible should be allowed to own firearms, will make the world a better place - environmental misanthrope.

Give everyone a gun but no ammunition. keep the poseurs happy and the rest of us safe!

There is a lot of weapons around, after all Thailand was in the middle of many wars zones, Vietnam, Lao and Cambodia, then northern Burma. It wasn't many years ago that the government still issued weapons to trusted villagers in my area, Plus you can drive into Lao and Cambodia through unpoliced border crossing, where markets are held. It's still a wild place in some parts and when the FIL or the brothers head up into the jungle they are always armed. Far as I am concerned a 9 mil does not beat an AK47 so, no guns for me. Jim

it depends on the situation ,in a narrow hallway or a small landing or any confined space id prefer the pistol

if i was at the top of the stairs looking down of course ,itd be the AK for sure

For CQB you are best off with a short-barreled, pump-action shotgun. Rifles are too unwieldy and pistols are generally ineffective. But a big dog does the job and is far better company than a dangerous hunk of metal and plastic!

Kelvinlow

Ignore the anti gun lobby. If you feel it is required in your home in Thailand, where guns can be held legally then for the protection of your family do it. there have been many cases of yabba fueled idiots who have killed every member of a household after they have taken all their money, in some cases as little as 1500 baht.

It is not the police that issue gun licences, it is a specific government department. get your wife to apply for a licence. If you have children in the house do not get a revolver, get a 9mm even though it is harder for your wife to use. Most accidents concerning children and firearms are with revolvers, they are fast, easy to operate and inherently unsafe in the hands of anyone other than a skilled operator. It is almost impossible for a child to load a round into a 9mm, particulalry with precautions like small gun safes.

As far as the law is concerned, you are allowed to use appropriate force to safeguard you and your family. If that means you use your wife's gun to protect you all then that is fine. Some rules. You cannot shoot anyone running out of your house or out of the garden, as long as they are a direct threat to you then you have no problems with the law. I spoke in detail with the police about this issue, they also gave me some other advice which if you wish you can PM me.

Lastly I have just seen foliums post above and he is right

These debates always seem to come down to pro and anti gun people. Now I am niether pro or anti and in my other life carried a 40 cal sig for work. I would not have a hand gun in the house, even trained users when under stress are likily to hit everything but the target. 2nd if you get a home invasion by a bunch of drugged up nutters who want to kill you, chances are they will be on you before you have the gun removed from the safe. If you are going to sleep with a loaded gun you may will wake in fright and blow you wife away.

If you rally feel that a gun is a must, a pistol grip small shot gun is the best overall deterrent, these are covered under the firearms license, but again leaving a shotgun by the bed is not a good idea.

Get a good dog, Thais are terrified of big dogs and unless it is mad it should not eat your kids, but a loaded weapon may kill them. Another thing, if where you live is so bad that you feel you need a gun move to a safer area.

I live in a border village where nok rifles are carried by many when they go the the rice paddies, many people have rifles for hunting plus no shortage of hand guns both legal and illegal and we never lock the doors, in fact there is no front door you can walk in from the street. Yet I feel safer in my village then I do in a house in Australia. Jim

Utmost need to own a gun ?......................Are you American by any chance.

Forget the gun if you feel unsafe at night, get yourself a big dog and watch the face of strangers when the dog growls and bares its teeth when it feels threatened. If you treat your dog properly, it will obey you, but god help anyone that breaks in at night.

I once had 4 guys come into my garden late at night (in Queensland) i guess i would'nt have had much chance if they were armed and i pulled a gun. But they froze when Raferty my german sheppard approached them. They apoligized and said that i was not the person they were looking for.

The moral of this is, go only knows what would have happened if i had produced a gun.

Too many posts that cross the line legally. Please refer to the links given earlier to an explanation of the laws.