Published: 17:22, August 11, 2026
Thai PM suspends firearm purchase licenses after school shooting
By Reuters
People lay flowers at the gate of Debsirin Nonthaburi School, a day after the shooting at the school in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, Aug 8, 2026. (PHOTO/AP)

BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday suspended the issuance of permits to buy ​firearms and said existing licenses would be ‌reviewed, days after a 14-year-old gunman killed nine people.

Anutin directed a deputy prime minister overseeing legal affairs to expedite ​a new gun control law, with stronger ​controls and significantly harsher penalties.

Police were ordered to stop renewing permits that enable people to ​buy firearms.

Registered firearms must be kept at home ​and cannot be carried in public, Anutin said, reiterating the current law.

For illegal firearms, studies are underway to enact legislation ​requiring their return to the state within ​a specified period, he said.

ALSO READ: Thai school shooting death toll rises to 9 after 12-year-old girl dies from injuries

Last week, a teenage student killed ‌six people and himself at a school outside Bangkok after fatally shooting his grandparents.

The education minister also proposed new school safety measures ​to the cabinet, including screening everyone ​who enters education premises for illegal objects and weapons.