Thailand has a gun problem - 10 million of them

After the massacre of children and teachers by a former police officer at a nursery in 2022, and then after a shooting by another 14-year-old boy at Bangkok's most popular shopping mall in 2023, Anutin, then the interior minister, ordered similar measures. The discount scheme was also suspended back then, but almost immediately reinstated. The carrying of firearms by anyone not on official duty was banned after another school shooting in February this year.The problem is not just regulation. The sheer number of guns in circulation, endemic corruption, lax enforcement of laws in all walks of life, the glorification of guns and a decades-long military culture are all contributing factors.In the most recent asset declarations by government ministers more than a dozen owned guns: the justice minister owns 10, the minister for the environment and natural resources said he had 12, and one female MP has declared ownership of 48 guns.Boonwara Sumano also highlights the pervasive influence of the military in Thailand, even when it is not actually running the country, which it has done for most of its modern history."If you notice every Children's Day in Thailand, instead of taking children ...