[International] Thailand Campus Shooting Shocks Society; Anutin Vows to Tighten Gun Control

A shocking campus shooting occurred in Thailand today (7th), where a 14-year-old student first shot and killed his grandparents at home before going to a school in the suburbs of Bangkok and opening fire on teachers and staff, resulting in at least 7 deaths. The student also died by suicide. In response to this tragic shooting incident, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that new gun control laws will be proposed to prevent similar tragedies. According to Reuters, Anutin told the media that he will push for a new bill that will restrict civilians from carrying firearms in the future, stating, "Only government officials performing their duties will be allowed to carry guns." High Gun Ownership Rate in Thailand Data from the Swiss research group "Small Arms Survey" shows that in 2017, Thailand had approximately 10.3 million firearms, equivalent to about 15 guns per 100 people, far exceeding other countries in the region. Only over 6 million of these guns were registered, while the remaining 4 million were illegal. Thailand has experienced multiple mass shootings. In 2022, a former police officer went on a knife and gun rampage in Nong Bua Lam Phu province in the northeast, killing 36 people, including 22 children. In October of the following year, a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, causing 2 deaths and 5 injuries. Scholars Call for Stricter Regulations Following the Siam Paragon shooting, then-Interior Minister Anutin ordered a series of measures, including a temporary suspension of new firearm permits, import restrictions, and a ban on individuals under 20 from entering shooting ranges. He also proposed long-term control measures, such as requiring gun owners to undergo mental and psychological assessments and setting expiration dates for certain firearm permits. Piyaporn Tunneekul, an associate professor at Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, pointed out that Thailand lacks strict gun control measures, such as not requiring psychological evaluations for firearm permit applicants, allowing anyone over 20 to own a weapon, and not conducting regular reviews of legal gun owners. She told Reuters, "The conditions we look at are only: Do you have money? Do you have a necessary reason to protect property? Are you owning a gun for self-defense? However, for other countries, these reasons are not sufficient." Piyaporn emphasized that Thailand needs to establish intervention mechanisms like other countries, such as the United States' "Red-flag laws," which allow authorities to confiscate firearms if a gun owner is deemed a risk. "But now, these incidents keep happening, and the government remains inactive."(Editor: Liao Yiting)