Two fatal shootings in Nonthaburi have prompted the Anutin government to tighten Thailand's gun-control policies.
The government yesterday announced what it called sweeping measures, including a nationwide ban on carrying firearms outside the home and checkpoints to search for guns and narcotics.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also ordered the Department of Provincial Administration to suspend applications for gun purchase permits, known as Por 3; ownership permits, or Por 4; and carry permits, or Por 12.
Most gun crimes are not committed by Por 12 holders authorised to carry firearms in public. Many involve illegal or modified weapons, or legally owned guns used by people other than their registered owners.
Checkpoints may demonstrate that the government is doing something visible, but their reach will inevitably be limited. Gun offences are unlike drink-driving, for which police can mount checks on roads near entertainment districts at predictable times. Firearms can remain concealed in homes, vehicles and criminal networks far beyond the reach of temporary roadblocks.
Thailand's gun problem runs much deeper.
The country has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in Southeast Asia. More than six million firearms are registered with the Department of Provincial Administration, while estimates suggest another four million illegal weapons are in circulation. These include smuggled and improvised firearms that can be obtained with disturbing ease.
The 14-year-old responsible for the 2023 Siam Paragon shooting, for example, bought a modified blank-firing pistol online.
The licensing system is itself inadequate. A Por 4 ownership permit is permanent. Owners are not required to renew it, undergo regular mental-health assessments or demonstrate that their weapons remain securely stored.
The Debsirin Nonthaburi School shooting exposed the consequences of that weakness. The 14-year-old gunman took a registered firearm that had belonged to his late grandfather from a locked cupboard.
Weapons also leak from state-backed welfare schemes. Intended to help officials such as forest rangers and local administrators buy affordable firearms, these programmes have offered guns at substantial discounts. Weak purchase limits and poor monitoring have enabled some welfare guns to be resold on the black market.
The government must therefore attack the problem at its roots. Thailand does not merely have too many guns; it lacks an effective system for tracing them, monitoring their owners and ensuring they remain in safe hands.
Authorities should conduct a comprehensive audit of registered civilian and welfare firearms, gun by gun.
Permit holders should undergo periodic mental-health and eligibility assessments. They should also be required to demonstrate that their firearms are stored securely and remain in their possession.
Checkpoints and permit suspensions may provide an immediate response to public alarm.
They cannot substitute for a permanent system of accountability.
Without scrutiny at the level of each firearm and each owner, legal guns will continue to fall into the wrong hands. When that happens, another supposedly sweeping crackdown will offer little comfort after the next tragedy.
