Despite tough gun laws in Thailand, recent incidents of gun violence and police crackdowns on illegal guns have demonstrated how easy it is to obtain these weapons online.
Traders on the black market are selling firearms online to Thais. As a result, guns are distributed to criminal networks, which can lead to future crimes.
Thailand had a problem with illegal firearms purchased through smuggling or through trade online through social media or the Line App.
According to Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau it is likely that future crimes could be committed as a result of illegal arms trading, since many of the customers are gun collectors, hitmen, and even drug traffickers.
Just recently police arrested a 40-year-old woman who said she bought the pistol she used to shoot and kill her boyfriend over the Internet after accusing him of assaulting her.
Three people were killed and six others injured in a gunfight in Ubon Ratchathani province in early August. Smuggled Soviet-era rifles were used in the shootout, according to the police.
More than 2,300 modified guns and several thousand bullets were seized during a police raid in Bangkok in July.
A 52-year-old Bangkok man was arrested after purchasing a shotgun and pistol online but not registering them.
Unregistered firearms are easy to obtain in Thailand, since online marketplaces make it easy for civilians to obtain guns without going through complicated background checks.
There are a number of Thai social media accounts that offer guns for sale with home delivery. There is a Twitter account with the hashtag #puenthuan (illegal guns) that lists pistols listed for as little as 2,500 baht – far less than their legal counterparts.
Although there have been occasional crackdowns on illegal gun vendors, unlicensed firearms remain prevalent.
According to GunPolicy.org, hosted by the University of Sydney in Australia, Thai citizens own approximately 10.3 million guns, both legally and illegally.
Thailand’s Interior Ministry reports that there are just over 6 million registered guns as of last year. The country still has over 4 million unregistered or illicit firearms.
In Thailand, illegal firearms are mostly homemade guns, unregistered firearms, and imitations such as blank-firing guns, air rifles, and BB guns modified to fire real bullets.
Many people resell legal guns on the black market after removing their registration numbers, according to gun experts. Prices for these genuine weapons begin at 40,000 baht.
It has been found that criminals are less likely to use licensed guns because registration records the unique barrel markings that each gun leaves on bullets. Individual markings found at crime scenes can be used to trace the gun that fired the bullet.
Approximately 98 percent of crimes in Thailand involving firearms involve illegal guns.
A person caught with a gun registered to another person faces a fine of up to 10,000 baht and a six-month to five-year jail sentence.
The carrying of a registered firearm without a permit is also illegal, punishable by up to five years in prison or a maximum fine of 10,000 baht.
Additionally, the legislation imposes a number of restrictions on gun ownership. Individuals convicted of crimes, drug abusers, frail or disabled people, mentally unsound or infirm individuals, and minors are prohibited from owning guns.
Gun ownership is also not allowed for people with no occupation or income and no fixed place of residence, as well as those who have committed public-order offenses.
Gun experts, however, say these tough rules can be circumvented through bribes or bureaucratic connections.
In the meantime, customers who wish to own firearms legally can pay gun shops to apply for registration on their behalf. This can reduce the waiting time for a firearm from six months to a year to no more than two months.
According to Wikipedia, an estimated 66.7 million people live in a country with more than six million registered guns. Thai civilians owned 10,300,000 guns in 2017, equivalent to 15.1 firearms per 100 inhabitants, according to the Small Arms Survey.
A gun license may be obtained for self-defense, property protection, hunting, or sports purposes under the Act Concerning Firearms, Ammunition, and Explosives.
In 2017, the law was amended to restrict gun ownership to Thai citizens only.