Thailand: How will Bangkok shooting change gun laws?

Authorities in Thailand are proposing stricter controls on firearms after two people were killed last week during a mass shooting in Bangkok.

A 14-year-old boy shot and killed two people in Siam Paragon, one of Bangkok's most popular shopping and leisure centers, before being detained by police officers.

The alleged shooter, who police said had suffered a psychological breakdown, was charged with premeditated murder, illegal possession of a firearm and other charges.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to take "preventive measures" after the shooting.

Examining Thailand's firearm laws

The teenage suspect had been undergoing treatment for mental illness, but had stopped taking his medication and reported hearing voices telling him to shoot people, according to investigators.

Authorities said the boy used a blank-firing pistol modified to shoot live rounds.

Thai law prohibits people from openly carrying imitation guns in public — but replica weapons are not considered firearms, so possession is legal. Blank guns and BB guns fired by air pressure are widely available in markets and malls across Thailand, as well as online.

The shooting suggests Thailand's firearm laws need strengthening, said Krisanaphong Poothakool, an associate professor with the criminology and justice administration program at Bangkok's Rangsit University.

"The gun law should include BB guns or blank guns," Krisanaphong told DW, adding that people with mental health issues should be psychologically evaluated as part of the firearm application process.

Immediate short-term changes to laws

Following last week's shopping mall shooting, Thailand's national police chief, Torsak Sukwimon, said authorities are now trying to outlaw blank guns.

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced several short-term measures to counter gun violence, including the suspension of firearm license registrations for import and trade purposes, and applications to carry firearms in public.

No new gun shops will be allowed to open, and customs checks for blank weapons and imitation firearms will be increased. Shooting ranges will also require attendees under 20 years old to produce permission from authorities.

Would-be firearm owners applying for gun licenses must currently provide legitimate reasons for wanting to own weapons — such as for hunting or to add to a collection.

Anutin said that in the long term, buyers will need to produce a medical certificate proving they are mentally fit to own a gun.

But questions still remain about Thailand's gun culture, as the Siam Paragon attack was the third mass shooting in as many years.

Previous shootings in Thailand

In 2020, a Royal Thai Army soldier shot and killed 29 people and injured 58 others in the northeastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima before being shot and killed by authorities.

Last October, a former Thai police officer opened fire at a day care center and on the streets of Nong Bua Lam Phu in the country's north, killing 36 people — 24 of them children.

The attack highlighted Thailand's welfare gun scheme, which allows state workers — including soldiers, officers and government officials — to buy firearms at heavily discounted rates. 

Thailand's previous government had plans to freeze the program and issue an amnesty for illegally-held firearms.

"Unfortunately, the parliament was dissolved before the amnesty law was approved," said Krisanaphong, who urged the new government to have a long-term policy for gun control.

"Governments should amend the gun law and should have clear requests under process for all applicants who apply for having a gun license," Krisanaphong said. "It needs to be very, very important reason to why you need to have a gun."

Thailand has one of the highest civilian gun ownership rates in Asia, with more than 10 million firearms held by civilians. Of those, around 4 million are illegally held. 

Edited by: Keith Walker