Thailand suspends new gun permits after deadly school attack

Nonthaburi – 11 August 2026: Following the deadly attack at Debsirin-Nonthaburi School, the Thai government has temporarily suspended the issuance of new gun permits. The decision follows the August 7 attack, in which eight people were killed, according to authorities. Six victims died on the school grounds in Bang Kruai district, northwest of the capital Bangkok.

According to investigators, the suspected perpetrator was a 14-year-old student at the school. He is believed to have first shot his two grandparents at their shared home. He then reportedly drove to the school and opened fire there. The teenager died at the scene. The available information does not clearly indicate the circumstances of his death.

The victims at the school included staff members and a female student who died from her severe injuries the day after the attack. More than 20 other people were initially taken to hospitals. According to the Health Ministry, 14 injured people were still receiving medical treatment on August 8, several of them seriously injured.

According to the information published so far, the announced suspension applies to new permits. How long it will remain in force and exactly which applications it covers has not yet been fully explained. Following the attack, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said stricter regulations on gun ownership and carrying firearms in public would be introduced. Permits to carry weapons in public had already been restricted beforehand.

Debsirin-Nonthaburi School temporarily suspended classes after the attack. Authorities and the school organized support for the injured, relatives and others affected. Due to the high medical need, people were also urged to donate blood.

The attack has once again intensified the debate in Thailand over access to firearms. According to international surveys, the country has a high number of civilian firearms compared with others in the region. Legally registered stockpiles are only part of the problem: there are also unregistered weapons, as well as questions over how ammunition is purchased, stored and controlled. The suspension of new permits therefore initially affects only a limited area of firearms regulation.

Police are continuing to investigate where the weapon and ammunition used in the attack came from. The teenager’s contacts and the sequence of events between his grandparents’ home and the school grounds are also part of the investigation. Authorities have not yet released a final explanation of the motive.