BANGKOK, Feb 13 — Thailand is suspending the issuance of new firearm carrying permits for one year, starting from Friday, as part of a government effort to curb crime.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the order yesterday, The Bangkok Post reported.
The Royal Gazette published the order on Thursday, and it will take effect from February 14.
Ministry of Interior official Traisuree Taisaranakul said the order was issued because many people in Thailand carry firearms in public places without a sound reason.
Some display their firearms in public to intimidate others.
Such habits could lead to crime and danger to people’s lives, properties, and morale, she said.
Guns are expensive and according to the news outlet, hard to obtain in Thailand, on paper at least.
However, The Bangkok Post reported 6.2 million registered firearms in Thailand as of 2023, based on the country’s Interior Ministry figures.
Another four million unregistered weapons, often sourced from strife-torn countries or smuggled in, were also estimated to be in circulation, the daily added.
Data from the World Population Review in 2022 indicated Thailand was ranked 15th globally in gun deaths with 2,804 people killed, for a rate of 3.9 per 100,000 population.
