Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday ordered a suspension of firearm purchase permits and a review of existing licences following a school shooting that left nine people dead.
Mr Anutin instructed Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt, who is responsible for legal affairs, to accelerate the drafting of tougher gun-control legislation. The proposed bill, expected to be submitted within 60 days, will include stricter regulations and significantly heavier penalties.
Police have also been told to halt the renewal of permits allowing individuals to purchase firearms. Mr Anutin stressed that registered guns must remain inside their owners’ homes and cannot legally be carried in public.
He also dismissed claims that carrying a firearm offered protection, warning that guns frequently ended up being used against their owners.
The cabinet approved a combination of immediate and long-term measures aimed at tackling illegal firearms and closing loopholes that allow weapons to fall into unauthorised hands.
Government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said the Interior Ministry and Royal Thai Police had been instructed to suspend renewals of Por 3, Por 4 and Por 12 licences until further notice.
New “welfare gun” programmes will also be put on hold. The controversial schemes allow eligible state officials, ranging from village headmen to judges and politicians, to purchase firearms at heavily discounted prices.
Critics say many of the weapons are later resold. Between 2017 and 2020, US firearms manufacturer Sig Sauer secured two contracts to supply the Royal Thai Police with a combined 400,000 weapons, many of which were intended for the welfare programme.
The Interior Ministry has also played a significant role in distributing welfare guns.
Other urgent measures include auditing firearms dealers’ sales against licensing and tax records, inspecting ammunition held at shooting ranges and pursuing more aggressive prosecutions. Courts will also be urged to impose severe punishments in serious cases.
Longer-term proposals include a real-time electronic system for firearm licences and transactions linked to the Customs and Revenue departments.
Authorities also plan to introduce individual firearm identification records, strengthen oversight of gun dealers and increase penalties for violations.
The crackdown follows last week’s attack at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, where a 14-year-old student shot dead six people before taking his own life. The teenager had earlier killed his grandparents, bringing the overall death toll, including the gunman, to nine.
The CZ75 9mm semi-automatic pistol used in the attack was legally registered to the boy’s grandfather. The model is widely available in Thailand and has been purchased by the government for its welfare gun programme.
Gun violence struck Nonthaburi again on Monday when former MP Chalong Riewraeng allegedly shot dead Pol Col Thongchai Yenprasert, head of the provincial administrative organisation and a former police officer. The killing was reportedly linked to a financial dispute.
Chalong was charged on Tuesday with premeditated murder and other serious offences.
Thailand had an estimated 10.3 million civilian-owned firearms in 2017, equivalent to approximately 15 guns for every 100 residents—the highest rate in Southeast Asia by a considerable margin—according to the Small Arms Survey.
Education Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong has meanwhile proposed additional school-security measures, including screening everyone entering educational premises for weapons and other prohibited items.
