Thailand ranks second among Southeast Asian countries for firearm-related crime, behind only the Philippines, according to 2019 data from the Global Burden of Disease study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. The figures have resurfaced following a shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai, Nonthaburi, on August 8, which left at least six people dead and more than 15 injured.
International outlets including CNN, BBC, DW, Sky News, CNA, Reuters and AFP covered the attack at the secondary school of around 3,000 students. Victims included teachers and students, while the teenage suspect also died following the attack.
Thailand has some of the stricter firearm laws in the region, though concerns over gun violence remain. Police said the weapon was initially believed to belong to a family member, and investigators were still working to determine how the student accessed it. The suspect reportedly lived with relatives rather than his parents.
The attack has drawn comparisons with the scale of shootings in the United States. CNN reported at least 31 US school shootings in the first half of 2026, citing an analysis by the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week and Everytown for Gun Safety that found at least 22 deaths and 23 injuries.
AFP reported that many of the injured in Nonthaburi were hurt while fleeing rather than from gunfire itself. One student told Reuters he initially mistook the gunshots for fireworks.
“I didn’t think it was a gun at first,” the student said, describing repeated loud bangs before the shooting paused and resumed.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called the attack a tragedy.
“It is a terrible incident. It should not have happened. How could something like this happen in our country?” Anutin told reporters at Government House.
The Central Investigation Bureau said the situation had been brought under control. The attack has renewed international attention on school safety, firearm access and the data behind gun violence in Thailand and abroad, reported Pattaya Mail.
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