By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
In the aftermath of a mass shooting in which left eight people dead and 22 others injured, Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has promised to introduce new gun control laws, according to the BBC.
The deadly rampage reportedly occurred in Nonthaburi, on the outskirts of Bangkok. The gunman was identified as a 14-year-old former student at the Debsirin School in the Bangkok suburb.
Incredibly, a former Thai MP from Nonthaburi also fatally shot a former police official identified as Thongchai Yenprasert outside of his office, according to the BBC. The self-confessed killer, former MP Chalong Reawraeng called a local YouTube host, Anchalee Paireerak, to announce the shooting.
The shootings, nearly halfway around the world from the United States, serve as a reminder that not all gun-related violence happens in America.
The BBC reported that the teen killer started his spree by apparently murdering his grandparents last Thursday. The firearm used in the rampage apparently belonged to the grandfather. It was legally registered and the grandfather had a permit, underscoring that even foreign gun control restrictions do not prevent such crimes.
After shooting the grandparents, the teen proceeded to the school where he gunned down five teachers and a student. He subsequently took his own life.
The BBC reported that Thailand “has one of the highest rates of civilian gun ownership in South East Asia, with around 10.3 million firearms in civilian possession, around four million of which are believed to be owned illegally.”
In the other shooting, police arrested Chalong, who was then allowed to hold a press conference, where he was apparently going to apologize to Thongchai’s family. Local media reported the two were involved in a personal dispute.
The Rockefeller Institute of Government recently unveiled the “Global Mass Shooting Fact Sheet,” which notes on its website, “While mass shootings occur more frequently in the United States, they are not a uniquely American phenomenon.”
The website further notes, “Between 2000 and 2025, there were 99 mass shootings across 73 ‘very high’ HDI countries outside the United States. During the same period, however, the United States alone experienced 121 mass shootings.”
The Global Mass Shooting Fact Sheet breaks down the details on these foreign incidents. During the past 25 years, there were 99 mass shootings across 73 countries, in which 804 people were killed and 665 wounded by gunfire.
“By comparison,” the website reports, “121 US mass shootings claimed 943 lives and left 1,095 people wounded.”
Surprisingly, “Despite the greater number of casualties in the United States, the average number of fatalities per incident was relatively similar across groups (8.1 vs. 8.0),” the website says. “However, US incidents resulted in a higher average number of people wounded by gunfire (9.1 vs. 6.7).”
