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Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul suspended the issuance of new gun permits nationwide for one year on Aug. 11, following the Aug. 7 school attack that killed 9 people.
The statement said the one-year suspension—issued under the authority granted by Articles 6 and 57 of the 1947 Firearms Act—was necessary to maintain public order, reduce the risk of violence, and restore public confidence.
Under the regulation, licensed firearms must be kept at home and carrying them in public without a legal justification will be punishable by imprisonment and fines.
The measure came after nine people were killed and 30 others were injured in the armed attack at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Thailand's Nonthaburi province.
Law enforcement sources reported that the 14-year-old attacker, a student at the school who died by suicide after the incident, had also killed his grandparents. Their bodies were discovered during a search of his home.
In the days that followed, Thailand's government pledged tougher gun controls and made school safety a national priority, with schools stepping up weapons screening and other security measures.
Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region, with an estimated 10 million firearms in circulation, roughly one for every seven people.
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