Thailand has suspended all firearm licences nationwide, with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul warning today, August 12, that politicians must not carry guns, since doing so could raise ethical questions affecting their eligibility for office.
The Cabinet’s decision, taken a day earlier, followed a school shooting in Nonthaburi that killed nine people, including the attacker.
“No one can carry a gun now because there are no longer any valid gun-carrying permits in Thailand,” Anutin said, speaking at Sanam Luang in Bangkok.
He added that public figures needed to set an example, saying, “As public figures, we have to set an example. When the law says firearms cannot be carried, people who represent the Thai people must set an example.”
Anutin said any use of a firearm would ultimately have to be examined in court, adding that there was “no benefit to anyone” in carrying a gun. The Guardian reported that Thailand has one of the region’s highest rates of civilian gun ownership, with tens of millions of firearms in circulation among a population of about 70 million.
The suspension follows the shooting on Friday, August 7, in which a 14 year old student killed his grandparents at their home in Nonthaburi before killing five teachers and staff at Debsirin Nonthaburi School and then himself.
A 12 year old girl who was wounded in the attack later died in hospital, bringing the death toll to eight victims, plus the attacker, for nine deaths in total.
Police said the student had previously brought a BB gun to school and had watched violent videos online, with academic stress and bullying cited as possible factors. He used a firearm belonging to his grandfather.
The bodies of the student and his grandparents were cremated on Tuesday, August 11, at Tem Rak Samakkhi temple in Nonthaburi.
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