Gun Ownership

[jasperblubber2005]

i know this has been asked but i could not find it through the search engine, is it possible to own a hand gun in thailand and if so what is the procedure, thanks in advance

jasper

p.s.

no i have no intension of shooting anyone

[backflip]

So, what is yuor intention of owning a gun? It doesn't matter, you can't own a gun in Thailand. Let me be more specific: you can own a gun, but you can't bring it in to Thailand.

[Totster]

Try here..

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=61503

totster

[Lynnx]

you can't own a land in Thailand, you can't own a gun here.

[Sing_Sling]

you can't own a land in Thailand, you can't own a gun here.

Two lands?

[Neeranam]

Just buy one - who's going to know?

If someone breaks into your house and threatens your family, are you going to stop and ask yourwself if it is legal or not?

[johng]

Just buy one - who's going to know?

errrmm the dodgey "geezer" on the corner that you bought it from ??

and he'll have no second thoughts about turning you in ..if the police "need some information"

Why not get a Thai ( a trust worthy Thai of course ) to buy the gun in their name. perfectly legally and keep it in the house in case of trouble.

[smartecosse]

if you dont actually intend to use the gun what is the point of having it???

buy a replica and pose around with that

[Chang_paarp]

Just leave it at home in the US.

Not a good look in other parts of the world.

[meadish_sweetball]

Just to establish - we are not having a debate on gun control here... that's been done too many times before, and before long it turns into a verbal trenchwar (certainly preferable to a real one, but still). So please keep on topic.

Thank you for understanding.

[Heng]

Yes foreigners can own firearms. BUT you're going to need to have PR or Thai citizenship first as part of the purchase procedure requires your house registration. So it's no (legally anyway) for tourists and visa runners (although there are likely more than a few folks in these categories who own weapons here illegally).

[plachon]

Apropos this topic, was in a govt. office yesterday and lying around on the tables were several brochures advertising handguns of all makes and calibres. Varied in price from about 35,000 baht to 50,000 B. There was a letter inside saying that basically any govt. official in permitted depts/ministries could get one for personal defense and ALL karachagan in 3 southern provinces were entitled.

The country is awash with guns anyway, this will just help it become a flood and no doubt rival Texas for guns per head of popn before long (4 guns/person at last count). Mai pen rai, its not guns that kill, but people, eh NRA logicheads?

[uk_falang]

You can own a crossbow. Not quite as good as a gun but you can own one legally. I bought one which I use for nailing soi dogs. They would be good for home defence, and the darts wont go through a wall (at least not the small bow I bought). You cant really leave a crossbow loaded for a length of time as the boww and wires will weaken. I am not sure your legal position though if someone broke into your house and you shot them.

[Thaiboxer]

They would be good for home defence, and the darts wont go through a wall (at least not the small bow I bought).

Are you referring to those crossbow pistols on sale at JJ Market and some of the malls? I used to have one in the US that I bought at a gunshow. I was disappointed since the thing was really weak. I never used it on anyone, or even a dog for that matter, but it would probably just make them angry. At least it was cheap. I have seen full sized hunting bows for sale (around 17,000 baht) but I've never seen a crossbow. A proper crossbow will shoot an arrow pretty far and with a broadhead on the end, it would penetrate soft tissue with ease.

[Heng]

Sounds like a real fun time if it's one of those 3-4 member home invasion teams of criminals that seem popular of late, but probably better than one of the muay Thai/kung <deleted> advocates home defense options.

[GuestHouse]

Given the frequency that this topic comes up, it surely warrants a fact sheet all of its own.

[thaiknot]

Sounds like a real fun time if it's one of those 3-4 member home invasion teams of criminals that seem popular of late, but probably better than one of the muay Thai/kung <deleted> advocates home defense options.

For defense against several assailants a large can of pepper spray like those mini fire extinguishers designed for campers against bears could slow them down or make them even madder depending on how much they like their food really hot.

[Heng]

off topic: the anti-gun folks may like the fact that legal gun ownership costs in Thailand keep going up, both the cost of the firearms themselves and the minimum cash requirements needed to apply for a permit (right now it's hovering around 1 million). So it's not like the authorities are making it easy to buy weapons. I'm not one of the NRA "guns for all" types by the way, I'm just providing info. IMO the minimums should be around 10-20 million for firearms, one of the few areas where society doesn't need equality.

It's still nothing like going to Walmart or Academy and just being over 18 (for rifles and shotguns) or 21 and a 10 day wait.

The problem is that there are PLENTY of illegal guns out there as well.

[pianoman]

I have seen the small plastic spring firing pistols that shoot the small plastic balls here in Thailand, but I would like to bring a small CO2 bee bee gun / pelet gun from the States for target shooting... Anyone know how the Thai's would look on such... Many of those pistols available in the States are much more acrurate and enjoyable to shoot than the larger / Real weapons...

Pianoman

[Thaiboxer]

I think CO2/pump airguns fall into the same category as firearms and would require the same or similar steps to purchase them legally. Many states in the US have virtually no laws for airguns other than being 18 to purchase them. I agree with you in that they're fun to shoot and pretty safe in built up areas since they lack the power of a real gun and the pellets don't go too far. You could always use wristrockets...those don't use any kind gas as the propellant so they can't be classified as firearms. Some of the malls and JJ Market in Bangkok sell them.

Heng, you need to have 1 million baht in the bank to apply for a gun license? Wow, they are getting strict. I suppose you could always hop over to Cambodia and pick up any firearm you want for a good price. If you got caught though, you would probably need A LOT of money to pay off the boys in brown:)

Edited July 19, 2006 by Thaiboxer

[Heng]

Heng, you need to have 1 million baht in the bank to apply for a gun license? Wow, they are getting strict. I suppose you could always hop over to Cambodia and pick up any firearm you want for a good price. If you got caught though, you would probably need A LOT of money to pay off the boys in brown:)

Yes, current as of November of last year. They make exceptions for those who can demonstrate need for self defense (mostly only teachers in the south get this though). Demand is simply pegged (at 100%). For a good part of each year for the past few years, every firearm allowed to be imported (directly correlated to how many licenses will be issued) has been sold. If you inquire at the shops in the Wang Burapha area, they'll say 'no problem' but you'll be looking at a 4-6 month wait (essentially you reserve your place on the list for the NEXT round of licenses) at best.

As for Cambodia, that's probably not the best of ideas. Stay legal, much better peace of mind. Having a firearm is pointless if you can't practice with it + every single shooting range is crawling with police there for practice and recreation + each weapon is imprinted with an obvious garuda and Thai serial number.