The Thai government is overhauling firearms laws, enhancing licensing controls, and utilizing technology for better record-keeping and background checks, while gun dealers will screen buyers more rigorously.
Key Points
- The Thai government is set to overhaul firearms laws, focusing on modernizing licensing controls related to the import, sale, possession, and use of firearms, and their associated ammunition. An estimated 10 million firearms are currently in civilian possession, and no increase in this number is planned.
- Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt announced that technology will be implemented to streamline firearms records and enhance authority checks, transitioning from a reliance on paper records to a more comprehensive digital system. Gun dealers will be tasked with conducting behavioral and mental health checks on potential buyers.
- The Interior Ministry suggests allowing individuals with illegal or unregistered firearms to surrender them to authorities. Additionally, the use of firearms as collateral in pawnshops remains illegal, and measures are being established to improve overall licensing, verification, and monitoring processes.
The government is preparing to overhaul firearms laws and modernize licensing controls, covering the import, sale, possession, and use of firearms, as well as ammunition and the premises where firearms are used.
Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt said technology will be used to link firearms records and enable authorities to conduct more thorough checks, replacing a system that still relies heavily on paper records and fragmented information. An estimated 10 million firearms are currently held by people in Thailand, and the government does not plan to approve any increase in that number.
Gun dealers would take greater responsibility for screening prospective buyers, including checks on behavioral history and mental health, while government agencies would apply tighter licensing scrutiny. The Interior Ministry has also proposed allowing people with illegal or unregistered firearms to surrender them to authorities.
Pakorn also addressed the use of firearms as pawnshop collateral, which is already illegal because gun licenses are issued to specific individuals and cannot be transferred through such arrangements. Unlawfully held firearms may be surrendered without waiting for new legislation as authorities work to improve licensing, verification, and monitoring nationwide.
Source : Thai Government Moves to Overhaul Firearms Laws and Licensing
