The shooting incident at a well-known mall could be a turning point prompting the government to tighten gun control, said the president of the Firearms Business Association.
The association president Mr. Tithitorn Bupparammanee believes that the recent shooting incident at Siam Paragon will serve as a turning point for the government to increase control over the import and sale of firearms, as well as regulate firearm ownership in the future.
He spoke about the issue of imitation firearms, which have been used in criminal activities over the past five years. These imitation firearms, or blank –firing pistols are legally available in Thailand because they require permission from the Ministry of Interior for importation and use in the film industry. However, they closely resemble real firearms and have become a loophole for criminals to exploit, as the state does not regulate their importation, sale, or the qualifications of their owners or users.
Even crucial firearm components, such as barrels, can be easily purchased from well-known online stores, contributing to the problem of blank guns becoming instruments of death.
Regarding the shooting incident at Siam Paragon on October 3, where two people lost their lives and five others were injured, it is known that the weapons used were ordered online before being modified. It is widely known that the process of converting blank guns into firearms capable of firing real bullets can be found online.
Government agencies responsible for oversight have failed to control this issue. Some groups have even gone so far as to open YouTube channels to teach how to modify imitation firearms.
Mr. Tithitorn also mentioned that the Firearms Business Association in Thailand has been pushing for legislation to regulate imitation firearms for many years because they anticipated incidents like this would occur in the future.
Online sales lack the necessary checks on buyers, making it accessible to teenagers, which is a cause for concern.
It is believed that after this incident, which resulted in the loss of lives of foreign nationals, the government may pay more attention to implementing stricter measures for controlling the sale of imitation firearms, which could lead to requiring permits for ownership. (TNA)
