Thai PM vows stricter gun laws after teen kills 8 in school shooting

Thailand’s prime minister has promised to rewrite the country’s gun laws after a 14-year-old student killed eight people in a shooting rampage at his school near Bangkok on Friday. The teen first shot his grandparents at their home, then went to Debsirin School in Nonthaburi, where he killed five teachers before turning the weapon on himself. Hospital officials later confirmed an eighth death: a student injured in the attack. Twenty-two others were wounded.

A Morning of Violence

The attack unfolded in stages. Police said the teenager shot his 73-year-old grandfather and 74-year-old grandmother at their two-storey flat around 5am, each with a single shot to the head. He then boarded a school bus carrying the firearm and dozens of bullets, according to Reuters. At school, he attended his first class at 8:30am and a second at 9:20am. About half an hour into that class, he drew his gun and began shooting.

He first targeted teachers on the school’s sixth floor, killing three. Then, as he walked downstairs, he encountered the school’s deputy director and the director’s secretary on the staircase. Police Major General Dejrapee Kongdee told Reuters that the attacker shot and killed both. Police arrived while the incident was ongoing and found the teen around 10:40am; he had already killed himself.

During a press conference, national police chief Gen. Kittiratt Phanphet said the shots were unusually accurate, with several striking vital areas. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul described the attack as “well prepared” with “clear steps and clear goals.”

Stricter Gun Laws Promised

Speaking after the tragedy, Anutin expressed sorrow but also frustration. “I don’t just feel sorry for the victims but I feel sorry that this happened. How can this happen in our country?” he said. He announced plans for new legislation that would restrict carrying firearms in public, permitting only government officials on duty to do so. The move is a significant shift for Thailand, where gun ownership is deeply entrenched.

Anutin has a history of attempting to tighten gun control. During his tenure as interior minister, he introduced a temporary ban on new gun licenses and imposed import restrictions. Whether the latest proposals can pass through parliament and survive lobbying by gun rights groups remains to be seen.

Thailand’s Gun Landscape

Thailand has one of Southeast Asia’s highest rates of civilian gun ownership, with an estimated 10.3 million firearms in civilian hands—roughly four million of them illegal. While the country maintains strict gun laws that carry penalties of up to ten years in prison for illegal possession, enforcement has historically been weak. The weapon used in Friday’s attack, however, was legally registered—it belonged to the boy’s grandfather. Police Colonel Thadsakorn Konthong said an initial inspection found signs that the firearm had been searched for in the grandfather’s bedroom.

Investigation and Looking Forward

Authorities are investigating what led the teenager, described by those who knew him as quiet and well behaved, to carry out such violence. Police have searched his devices and found videos related to school shootings in the United States, according to local media. The discovery may point to a copycat motive, but officials have not yet drawn firm conclusions.

The massacre has reignited debate about gun culture and mental health in Thailand. While the prime minister’s pledge to restrict public carrying is a step, experts argue that stronger enforcement of existing laws and better mental health support are equally critical. For now, the nation mourns the victims of a senseless attack, and families of the wounded await word on their recovery.