Gun Laws in Thailand

[Dogmatix]

5 hours ago, retoohs said:

nice weapon but tend to jam if gets hot

It is an air soft version, so getting hot and jamming should not be an issue.

 

Incidentally, I saw on Thai news this morning that a Thai man seriously injured himself filling the cylinder of a PCP air rifle (presumably an unlicensed, illegal Chinese import) that he had been attempting to fill from a compressed air canister. The cylinder exploded in his face and knocked him unconscious. The TV news showed him lying motionless on the ground. 

 

The cylinders of PCP guns made be reputable European manufacturers now have use by dates stamped on them limiting use to 10 years to avoid their liability for accidents like this. I guess the Chinese don't bother and probably sell cylinders that are unsafe on day 1.  Add to this the possibility of a faulty pressure gauge and the likelihood a Thai owner would try to overfill the cylinder in the mistaken belief that would give him more power and/or more shots. 

 

Another aspect to think about in considering the acquisition of black market Chinese air weapons.

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

Another aspect to think about in considering the acquisition of black market Chinese air weapons.

I guess you could get Chinese spring air-guns as well which would be safe enough.

You can get high quality powerful Spanish spring air-guns but sadly there illegal too so best left alone.

If you want an air-gun go the correct route and get a gun licence first.

 

[GarryP]

5 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

I guess you could get Chinese spring air-guns as well which would be safe enough.

You can get high quality powerful Spanish spring air-guns but sadly there illegal too so best left alone.

If you want an air-gun go the correct route and get a gun licence first.

 

I wish to buy an air gun legally, but from what Arkady has said they are very overpriced here.

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

I wish to buy an air gun legally, but from what Arkady has said they are very overpriced here.

I would first enquire if you are able to get a gun licence,  then start looking at gun shops.

" Arkady " is right about price compared to Europe & US but you need to own a legally imported one that  " Arkady "  has said  that is stamped with a Thai import number, so l would say get s/h from a club or shop.

[GarryP]

4 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

I would first enquire if you are able to get a gun licence,  then start looking at gun shops.

" Arkady " is right about price compared to Europe & US but you need to own a legally imported one that  " Arkady "  has said  that is stamped with a Thai import number, so l would say get s/h from a club or shop.

Licensing should not be an issue as I now have Thai citizenship and meet the qualifications.

[Kwasaki]

5 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Licensing should not be an issue as I now have Thai citizenship and meet the qualifications.

l'd still get the licence first you can't buy a legal air-gun without it.

 

I wouldn't know about whether legal air-guns in Thailand are very powerful though in UK your only allowed 500 psi over that they are classed as firearms.

I would think because you can get a gun licence you would be allow ones available @ 1200 psi.

That said it depends what you want it for my guess would be target shooting is the only option in Thailand.

 

[Get Real]

On 2016-10-31 at 4:23 AM, Don Mega said:

Thankfully most countries are not like the US.

I get the feeling that you agree to that a bullet proof vest should be illegal. Why? It is not a weapon. It´s a way to protect yourself from all the people that have weapon illegally.
Should definately not be considered as a weapon in any country.

[Arkady]

On 25/01/2017 at 10:55 AM, GarryP said:

I wish to buy an air gun legally, but from what Arkady has said they are very overpriced here.

 

M Hakimi Firearms in Wang Burapha has two Turkish made Hatsan air pistols on its website. I think one is a semi auto PCP gun and the other a single shot spring gun. They look quite big as if they are machine pistols but they are obviously not match grade pistols and must be a lot cheaper than Hakimi's Olympic style Morini air pistols from Switzerland, which are B110,000-120,00. They don't put prices on the website and I haven't enquired myself but you could give them a call. Their mark-ups over US prices seem a lot less aggressive than most other gun shops there. Never bought a gun from them but have bought some scopes and they are nice folk.

 

Re the licence, I don't think it's necessary to get one in advance, if you live in Bkk, unless you want to do it yourself to save the service fee the shop charges to get it for you. They will refund your deposit on a gun, if your application is rejected but I guess you might lose the service fee.  Years ago I got one myself before it was transferred to the Interior Ministry from the police in Bkk and I was a bit taken aback to find I was asked for a bribe openly by the police.  So I ended up saving very little over what a shop would have charged.  I can't say what is the situation is now is with the MOI's DOPA as I have not applied there in person, although I have been there for an interview regarding an application and found them very friendly.  Most people don't want to take time off work to go there in person through the traffic, maybe more than once.  The office is inconveniently located opposite the Turf Club race track.  This part only applies to those with a tabien baan in Bkk, as the system is completely different in the provinces.

 

 

[GarryP]

16 hours ago, Arkady said:

 

M Hakimi Firearms in Wang Burapha has two Turkish made Hatsan air pistols on its website. I think one is a semi auto PCP gun and the other a single shot spring gun. They look quite big as if they are machine pistols but they are obviously not match grade pistols and must be a lot cheaper than Hakimi's Olympic style Morini air pistols from Switzerland, which are B110,000-120,00. They don't put prices on the website and I haven't enquired myself but you could give them a call. Their mark-ups over US prices seem a lot less aggressive than most other gun shops there. Never bought a gun from them but have bought some scopes and they are nice folk.

 

Re the licence, I don't think it's necessary to get one in advance, if you live in Bkk, unless you want to do it yourself to save the service fee the shop charges to get it for you. They will refund your deposit on a gun, if your application is rejected but I guess you might lose the service fee.  Years ago I got one myself before it was transferred to the Interior Ministry from the police in Bkk and I was a bit taken aback to find I was asked for a bribe openly by the police.  So I ended up saving very little over what a shop would have charged.  I can't say what is the situation is now is with the MOI's DOPA as I have not applied there in person, although I have been there for an interview regarding an application and found them very friendly.  Most people don't want to take time off work to go there in person through the traffic, maybe more than once.  The office is inconveniently located opposite the Turf Club race track.  This part only applies to those with a tabien baan in Bkk, as the system is completely different in the provinces.

 

 

Thanks for the heads up on the shop Arkady. They appear to have a number of interesting airguns. I shall have to pay them a visit. 

[GarryP]

For an air pistol retailing at USD130 (approx Baht 4,600) in the US, they are asking Baht 22,000 in Thailand. WOW!!!!!!!

[Arkady]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

For an air pistol retailing at USD130 (approx Baht 4,600) in the US, they are asking Baht 22,000 in Thailand. WOW!!!!!!!

Wow. Nearly 5 times mark-up.  For the Morini air pistol with electronic trigger they are only marking up 2 times (B120,000 vs US$1,700 in the US.  Apart from 30% import duty plus VAT I think the problem is there is minimum unit cost for getting the import licenses and the air pistols may come under an annual import quota system like  hand guns.  Then the importer and the retailer both want a minimum profit per unit too.  Sadly it means that you have to buy the most expensive guns to get the lowest mark-up. 

 

Hatsan shotguns are selling here for B30,000 plus vs about US$300-400 in the  US.   They make a very good copy of the Benelli 4 semi-auto shotgun with some improved features for around B35,000 compared to B155,000 for the Benelli orginal. Turkish guns are generally good value for money compared to US or European and the quality is quite good. They are quite popular in the UK now.

[Scoop1]

On ‎12‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 11:32 PM, Arkady said:

The picture in the OP's post is almost certainly an airsoft gun and these are freely available in Thailand without the US requirement of having an orange tip (after some black teenagers were shot by police there for holding airsoft Glocks).  I have seen airsoft versions of heavy machine guns in stores in Thailand that look just like the real thing. 

 

War weapons, i.e. real versions of the gun in the OP's post like M16s, AR15s firing centre fire cartridges etc cannot be licensed for civilian use.  However, versions of these weapons that look the same and are the same size but fire rimfire cartridges can be licensed.  These are normally chambered in .22lr.  You can see a lot of M16 style guns chambered in .22lr in store windows in Wang Burapha.  They are semi-auto as full auto is not allowed for civilians.

 

Civilians in Thailand may also own bolt action rifles in military calibres, such as .308 Win (NATO 7.62mm) or .223 Rem (NATO 5.56mm).  As someone pointed out earlier in the thread, the NATO equivalent cartridges, also used by the Thai military, are almost the same and can be fired in these guns, although the pressures may be somewhat different.  In fact, according to Thai firearms law, civilians are allowed to own handguns and rifles under .50 calibre.  Some Thai civilians own .338 Lapua Magnum rifles similar to the type that are now issued to some US military snipers for ranges out to 1,500 metres.  The ammo for these is hugely expensive and scarce in Thailand though - think about B850 a round.  Handguns up to including .44 magnum and .45 ACP are allowed and commonly available in the stores, although the .44 magnum ammo is a bit scare and expensive. Rifles that fire pistol ammunition, e.g. lever action Marlins and Henries in .357 magnum and .44 magnum are also allowed and commonly available.

 

There is no requirement in Thai law for a gun permit application to go before a committee or for an applicant to show a certain level of assets, as some have suggested here. However, those living in the provinces may be asked to show things like title deeds.  This is not a legal requirement but local officials making up their own regulations.  You will never be asked for details of property or assets, if you apply in Bangkok where applications are handled by the Interior Ministry which is responsible for enforcing firearms laws.  The process is quite straightforward in Bangkok.  You either tick all the right boxes or you don't.  There is nothing in the law that says foreigners are ineligible to own firearms but Bangkok has usually only issued them to PRs or embassy officials.  Licensing authorities in the provinces often refuse to issue to foreigners at all.

 

I have posted this for information about gun laws and availability only.  I have no interest in entering a debate about gun control.

 

 

Thanks for that information Arkady, I asked about the shooting sports in the sports section but never got a reply,  I have two target rifles and 3 hunting rifles all centrefire and was wondering if I could bring them with me when I come to live in Thailand and compete at benchrest competitions and 1000 yard competitions .

Do you know of any ranges that accommodate those disciplines?

Cheers

Scoop

[JaseTheBass]

On 31/10/2016 at 5:44 AM, tonray said:

Correct. But the difference is that in America, for example, it is not illegal to own or wear unless you are a convicted felon. Here it will get you put in jail.

 

Yes, but America's gun laws are medieval.

[Arkady]

23 hours ago, Scoop1 said:

Thanks for that information Arkady, I asked about the shooting sports in the sports section but never got a reply,  I have two target rifles and 3 hunting rifles all centrefire and was wondering if I could bring them with me when I come to live in Thailand and compete at benchrest competitions and 1000 yard competitions .

Do you know of any ranges that accommodate those disciplines?

Cheers

Scoop

 

Re importing your own rifles to Thailand, I commented on this earlier in the thread. The costs and hassles involved are likely to be prohibitive, unless you have very good connections in the Interior Ministry, military or some such.  It needs to be done by a licensed importer and would be treated as a purchase for tax and quota purposes, rather than a shipment of used personal effects.  Also you are unlikely to qualify for a permit in Thailand, unless you are a citizen or a permanent resident.  However, you can use a firearm registered in the name of a Thai spouse or friend, if they are always with you when you use or transport it and it is stored at their registered address.  For Bangkok residents getting a permit for a centerfire rifle is currently not too difficult, if they meet the qualifications (over 20 years old, employed, over 50k in bank etc) but it is not always easy to get more than one in the same centerfire caliber (probably excluding centerfire carbines that fire pistol ammo).  There is perhaps justifiably some caution about issuing permits for rifles that could be used by snipers in civil disturbances, although it seems far more likely that guns used in such a way would come from military stocks. In some provinces it might not be possible to get a permit for a centerfire rifle at all.  If you are keen to continue competitive shooting in Thailand, you will probably have to think in terms of buying a rifle in a Thai name, if that is practical for you and you will live in Bangkok or another province that is willing to issue the permits. 

 

Thailand is metric and I don't know of any 1,000 yard competitions.  The longest range I have come across is the 800 meter range at the Nave Seals Special Warfare range at Nong Krajong, Sattahip, near Utapao Airport.  There are regular competitions at Nong Krajong and at other military ranges around Thailand.  At Nong Krajong you can compete at 200, 400, 600 and 800 meters in two classes, modified and unmodified.  The latter is basically for unmodified hunting rifles and the modified class includes any type of 'sniper' or benchrest type rifle whether it is modified or not, e.g. a Sako TRG out of the box would be in the modified class.  Due to the cost of the hardware in Thailand, most shoot Remington 700 hunting rifles, CZ or equivalent which can be had for around B80,000, although there are many wealthy enthusiasts shooting Sako TRG 22,  Klelby etc from B250,000 before modifications.  Some of the competitions are restricted to .308 caliber only, while others include .223 and even .22lr (at 100m).  I am not sure if other calibers are allowed in any competitions but the ammo for anything else is virtually unobtainable in Thailand and you are not allowed to own loading equipment or materials.  Nong Krajong lists the calibers that members may use at the range as only .223 and .338.  However, they will permit members to shoot other calibers, but not compete with them, and I know there are some enthusiasts that shoot .338 Lapua there but the ammo in Thailand is B850-900 a round, when you can find it at all.  They are probably billionaires with good military connections.  Finding and paying for match grade .223 or .308 ammo is a challenge by itself.  Nong Krajong accepts foreign members.  Basically they provide a range with some Navy range officers on duty who will go out on a motorbike and fix and collect your targets.  You provide all the rest and it will be assumed that that you already know how to shoot safely, so you will be left to shoot in peace and enjoy a day on the hillside.  Since it is near the sea, it is like a links gold course with challenging wind conditions.  At Nawamin, Chonburi, there is an army range up to 400 meters, quite popular with Bangkok shoters, as it is relatively close, that allows the public to shoot and holds competitions but I haven't been there.  In Bangkok the Military Defense Centre in Ramintra has a 200 yard (not meters) windless range for centerfire and any type of rimfire that has recently re-opened.  Foreigners are not accepted as members there but may go as guests of a member.  Again there are no guns for rent and you have to bring your own centerfire ammo and any rimfire caliber except .22lr which they sell there.  It's also a good place to shoot .22 Magnum and .17HMR which are banned from most other ranges.  They used to have centerfire benchrest competitions at the Ramintra 200 yard range before it closed temporarily and will probably have them again.  

 

If you want any more detailed info, you can PM me.

 

 

 

[Arkady]

Re airguns I discovered this thread in Thai by accident about importing them for yourself.  http://www.gunsandgames.com/smf/index.php?topic=82681.0  It seems that in 1992 personal imports of guns and ammunition were banned for the first time and buyers were obliged to get gun shops to place orders for them which would count against the gun shops' quotas, as mentioned above.  However, exceptions were made for guns classified as sporting guns and air guns with air guns subject to the most relaxed import restrictions. However, it is still necessary to obtain a Por 3 approval for that model and approval from the Customs Dept before an import licence can be issued.  I have no idea if these licences are currently being issued to individuals or what additional costs would be involved apart from 30% (I think) import duty and 7% VAT added to the landed cost.  But some people have clearly done this in recent years.  As with all gun permits, I would guess the chance of doing this would be greatest for Bangkok residents.  I can't imagine a district officer in boonies doing anything other than flatly denying this is possble.  If anyone is interested, and have a Bangkok tabien baan, they should call or visit the Ministry of Interior's Department of Provincial Administration Firearms Licensing Centre at the Wang Chaiya office opposite the Turf Club.  They are very helpful.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Bugger! i suppose the chance of me getting hold of a Samuel Colt 38 calibre, single action peace maker, is right out the question now then?

[Arkady]

2 hours ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Bugger! i suppose the chance of me getting hold of a Samuel Colt 38 calibre, single action peace maker, is right out the question now then?

 

Definitely not an original one or even a working replica but you might find one in air soft. 

 

There used to be shop at Wang Burapha selling only black powder guns, mainly rifle muskets, owned by an enthusiast, a nice guy, who went to shoot them at a range in Ratchburi every week-end.  He might have had a working replica of one of the Colt Single Action Army models in black powder prior to the introduction of the 'smokeless' .38 but the shop sadly disappeared many years ago and I don't know why.  Perhaps the powder, bullets and percussion caps became illegal to import and sell, although hill tribe people seem to get them from somewhere, or more likely there just weren't enough Thai black powder afficionados.  I haven't seen any other black powder guns for sale in Thailand before or since.

[JohnnyJazz]

On 2/21/2017 at 8:53 PM, Arkady said:

Re airguns I discovered this thread in Thai by accident about importing them for yourself.  http://www.gunsandgames.com/smf/index.php?topic=82681.0  It seems that in 1992 personal imports of guns and ammunition were banned for the first time and buyers were obliged to get gun shops to place orders for them which would count against the gun shops' quotas, as mentioned above.  However, exceptions were made for guns classified as sporting guns and air guns with air guns subject to the most relaxed import restrictions. However, it is still necessary to obtain a Por 3 approval for that model and approval from the Customs Dept before an import licence can be issued.  I have no idea if these licences are currently being issued to individuals or what additional costs would be involved apart from 30% (I think) import duty and 7% VAT added to the landed cost.  But some people have clearly done this in recent years.  As with all gun permits, I would guess the chance of doing this would be greatest for Bangkok residents.  I can't imagine a district officer in boonies doing anything other than flatly denying this is possble.  If anyone is interested, and have a Bangkok tabien baan, they should call or visit the Ministry of Interior's Department of Provincial Administration Firearms Licensing Centre at the Wang Chaiya office opposite the Turf Club.  They are very helpful.

 

What do you mean by "sporting gun" ?  Like for IPSC  ?

 

http://www.ipscthailand.com/forum/index.php?topic=2031.0

The different courses are at the bottom of the page. I tried a couple of them, a lot of fun :-)

 

 

 

 

Edited February 23, 2017 by JohnnyJazz

[Arkady]

59 minutes ago, JohnnyJazz said:

 

What do you mean by "sporting gun" ?  Like for IPSC  ?

 

http://www.ipscthailand.com/forum/index.php?topic=2031.0

The different courses are at the bottom of the page. I tried a couple of them, a lot of fun :-)

 

 

 

 

 

The regulations are from 1992 and may no longer be applicable to other types of guns but I have seen posts in Thai gun forums from people who have successfully used them to import air guns in recent years. As sporting guns these regs list:

 

.32 and .38  revolvers with 6" barrels

.38 semi-auto pistols that must use semi-wadcutter ammo and be 18cm between front and rear sights.

.22 pistols that must be single shot loaders with 18cm between front and rear sights.

 

I think these refer to guns used in Olympic sports rather than IPSC, although I am confused about the .38 semi autos. These could be .38 supers, as commonly used in IPSC type sports but I doubt it.  I don't see how a semi-auto could be restrict to using semi-wadcutters or even if these are available in Thailand in .38 super.  Anyway I assume the last item gives the clue as to what type of gun the ministry intended.  Here it is in case you can read Thai or have a friendly translator available. http://www.gunsandgames.com/smf/index.php?topic=82681.0. The list is in the first scanned ministry order.  There are some specialist gun shops in Bangkok that import IPSC specific guns for limited and open class from Tanfoglio, STI, CK etc, e.g. Paisith Firearms and Infinity Firearms.  Of course, you can just use a an unmodified production gun in production class, as long as it is either double action for the first shot or is striker fired.

 

Thanks for the Thai IPSC link.  I have never tried it but an IPSC course has been on my bucket list for a while.  Perhaps I overlooked it but I couldn't see any details of courses at the bottom, only competitions in Phuket.  Do you have any more details?

 

As an aside, I have been wondering what Thai IPSC shooters do for ammo. I notice the chronograph in the set up for the stages in the link.  If they want to make major power factor in 9mm or .38 super, none of the factory ammunition available in Thailand would be powerful enough to pass the chrono test (rightly so, as Thais would just stick it in regular guns and blow themselves up, specially 9mm major PF ammo which is significantly more powerful than minor.)  I wonder if they have a way to get major ammo, reload themselves or just do minor in the limited and open classes.  In production class it doesn't arise, as there is only minor.

 

 

 

 

[JohnnyJazz]

^ Sorry I don't know  about any course in Bangkok. I just know the Thai friend I go shooting with at our local army range is going to compete there, that's how I know about the event. One day there was nobody at the range he set up some obstacles for me to run around, it was quite fun. He jokingly asked me if I wanted to compete too. The problem is in Thailand it's quite an expensive hobby. Anyway I will ask him next time I see him and let you know.

[Arkady]

2 hours ago, JohnnyJazz said:

^ Sorry I don't know  about any course in Bangkok. I just know the Thai friend I go shooting with at our local army range is going to compete there, that's how I know about the event. One day there was nobody at the range he set up some obstacles for me to run around, it was quite fun. He jokingly asked me if I wanted to compete too. The problem is in Thailand it's quite an expensive hobby. Anyway I will ask him next time I see him and let you know.

 

Thanks.  Yes it is quite an expensive hobby to be sure.  The IPSC 'race' guns for limited and open class are expensive enough in the US but sell for around B190,000 here.  Serious IPSC shooters have a back-up gun too for each class they shoot too in case of malfunctions in these finicky things at a match, which are more likely to happen here due to the unavailability of a variety of ammo options to suit each gun.

[Kwasaki]

On 2/24/2017 at 9:00 AM, JohnnyJazz said:

^ Sorry I don't know  about any course in Bangkok. I just know the Thai friend I go shooting with at our local army range is going to compete there, that's how I know about the event. One day there was nobody at the range he set up some obstacles for me to run around, it was quite fun. He jokingly asked me if I wanted to compete too. The problem is in Thailand it's quite an expensive hobby. Anyway I will ask him next time I see him and let you know.

l hope you go for it,  l would get easily bored at standing target range shooting.

[lostinataxi]

On 12/3/2016 at 6:26 PM, NeverSure said:

I think people have an irrational fear of guns. There are far more people killed each year on Thai highways than are murdered with guns in the US. LINK   LINK  That's not per capita, That's raw numbers. 

 

The US has the world's 3rd largest population so the actual number of deaths per capita is small. Same links. 

 

Throughout history I know of no murdering dictator who didn't first disarm the population. If you're happy being disarmed, simply don't live in the US. 100 million of my best friends and I plan to keep our guns.

 

Cheers.

You are correct, and highway deaths far out and away are more plentiful in the usa than gun deaths.  In fact, if one takes the gun deaths from our major liberal run cities away, america is the 4th from the bottom (give or take) in terms of gun deaths, and many of the gun deaths are actually suicides.   The major cities where gangs and other crimes with guns are where the vast majority of gun deaths happens.  Criminals will always have guns, no matter what.  Why should honest citizens not have them to defend themselves if needed?   Only a government that fears their people will limit or restrict firearms from honest citizens who wouldn't hurt a flea with them, unless in self defense.  Why is it we don't hear anyone proposing the banning of baseball bats, knives, autos, all of which kill more than the guns do?  

[Arkady]

11 hours ago, lostinataxi said:

You are correct, and highway deaths far out and away are more plentiful in the usa than gun deaths.  In fact, if one takes the gun deaths from our major liberal run cities away, america is the 4th from the bottom (give or take) in terms of gun deaths, and many of the gun deaths are actually suicides.   The major cities where gangs and other crimes with guns are where the vast majority of gun deaths happens.  Criminals will always have guns, no matter what.  Why should honest citizens not have them to defend themselves if needed?   Only a government that fears their people will limit or restrict firearms from honest citizens who wouldn't hurt a flea with them, unless in self defense.  Why is it we don't hear anyone proposing the banning of baseball bats, knives, autos, all of which kill more than the guns do?  

 

"I mean if ... look, if somebody ... if a cricketer, for instance, suddenly decided to go into a school and batter a lot of people to death with a cricket bat which he could do very easily, I mean are you going to ban cricket bats?" There was "no evidence" that people who used weapons for sport were any more dangerous than people who used golf clubs, tennis racquets or cricket bats."

 

Prince Phillip in a BBC interview in 1996 on the subject of the total ban on private handgun ownership in the UK, following the Dunblane massacre of schoolgirls by a nutter using handguns he somehow managed to own legally, despite the strictness of UK firearms laws at the time.  Phil the Greek was later forced to apologise for his remarks but for sure didn't regret them.  The UK still has a large number of shotguns and rifles in private hands and allows private loading of ammunition which is strictly prohibited in Thailand.  Apart from ban on handguns the big difference is that in the 1930s self defence was deleted from the list of legitimate reasons to apply for a firearms licence in the UK, whereas in Thailand most licences are issued for protection of life and property.  Even firearms permitted under licenses issued for sport, e.g. .45 ACPs and .357 magnums, rather than for protection of life and property, in Thailand, may still be used for home defence, if the threat warrants it.  In fact most of permits issued for centre fire revolvers these days are are issued for sport for .357 magnums, since the major manufacturer now produces hardly any .38 special models, on the basis that .357 magnums can used to fire .38 special, if desired.  I don't think there have been any cases in Thai courts where someone was charged with using a gun with a permit issued for sport for self defence purposes.  So I am not really sure why they bother with the sport licences, particularly since shotguns don't require sport licences and are far more deadly at close quarters than .45s, .357 magnums or .44 magnums that do.  

[kannot]

On 10/31/2016 at 11:22 AM, Gary A said:

 

I'm talking about super accurate air rifles. They cost in the neighborhood of 30,000 baht. Other than target shooting I want one that is capable of shooting a chicken in the head for a clean kill. Our walled in yard is 2.5 rai and we have probably a hundred chickens. They are nearly impossible to catch.

I have one of these in the Uk great gun http://hardairmagazine.com/reviews/airgun-test-reviews/air-arms-tx200-air-rifle-test-review-177-cal/

[Kwasaki]

7 hours ago, kannot said:

I have one of these in the Uk great gun http://hardairmagazine.com/reviews/airgun-test-reviews/air-arms-tx200-air-rifle-test-review-177-cal/

Dunno for sure about Thailand but more than 500 psi power in an air-rifle you need firearms licence in UK unless the UK has change the law an increased which l cannot see them doing.

 

The only reason peasants are allowed shotguns in the UK is because of the high-so rich & royalty in UK  like their shotguns, the UK police don't like em, fact. 

[Arkady]

The current Thai 1947 Firearms Act defines all air guns, regardless of power, as firearms requiring a regular Por 4 fireams licence.

[Arkady]

Some off topic posts and replies removed.

[bazza73]

On 10/31/2016 at 10:33 AM, Strange said:

 

Come on, no need to go there. US and AU are cool. We got the gun thing ingrained in our DNA (Unless your a Lib) so were a little different. 

Yes, the DNA thing is very true.

[JohnnyJazz]

The big talk at my shooting range this morning was the suicide of the Korean guy in Phuket. Everybody was looking at the video and asking the same question : why foreigners come to Thailand to commit suicide. It seems that every year at about the same time (March) a foreigner kill himself at a shooting range in Thailand. Don't be surprised to be turn down when you try to join your local shooting range, foreigners have the reputation to be dangerous lunatics who shouldn't be allowed to come close to a gun.