A 14-year-old student fatally shot his grandparents before carrying out a devastating attack at a secondary school in Nonthaburi province on Friday, August 7, 2026, taking the lives of five teachers and injuring more than 30 before taking his own life.
The recent shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in the suburbs of Bangkok has once again brought the question of gun control to the front of people’s minds, especially for a country with one of the highest civilian rates of gun ownership in Southeast Asia.
As explained by the national police force, the suspect reportedly killed both his grandparents with the help of a gun that belonged to his grandfather on Friday morning at the house of his grandparents. Then he went to the school where he studied and started shooting there. According to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who came to the spot, the suspect seemed “stressed” about his studies and had apparently planned the attack.
The attack left five school staff members dead and around 22 individuals injured, with nine in highly critical condition. An English teacher at the school, Prompong Namwong, described the situation as terrifying.
Police discovered the suspect had fired 26 rounds and was carrying 34 additional ammunition cartridges. The weapon was registered in the name of his grandfather. PM Anutin has responded to the tragedy, stating that he vowed to introduce new legislation restricting firearm possession, stating that “only government officials on duty” would be permitted to carry guns under proposed reforms.
The existing licensing system of the country does not require mental health screening for applicants for firearms. Several instances of mass shootings have taken place in Thailand in recent times; for example, the shooting at a day care center in 2022, which took 36 lives, and a shopping mall shooting by a 14-year-old in 2023.
2026-08-07 18:04:00
