Gun licence ban: Thailand freezes new permits for a year

Thailand has stopped issuing almost every new gun licence for one year under an Interior Ministry order published in the Royal Gazette on November 9, 2026. The freeze runs until November 9, 2027 and allows only four narrow exceptions, The Thaiger reported on Thursday.

The move is the government's latest response to the shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School on August 7, after which the Cabinet suspended firearm licences nationwide within four days. The new order turns that suspension into a formal, time-limited rule with clear deadlines.

What the gun licence freeze covers

According to the report, local registrars can no longer issue the main permits that ordinary buyers need. These include:

• Purchase permits, known in Thailand as P.3.
• Possession and use licences, known as P.4.
• Permits to order or import firearms and ammunition.
• New licences to make, repair, modify or sell guns as a business.

Existing gun dealers are not shut down. They can still renew the licences they already hold, but newcomers cannot enter the trade while the order is in force.

The four exceptions to the gun licence ban

Any exception needs approval from the interior minister. That post is currently held by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The Thaiger listed the four cases that can be considered:

• Security work, such as national defence or guarding key state property.
• Training for, or competing in, shooting sports.
• A legal transfer of a weapon after a licence holder dies or loses eligibility.
• Buyers who already hold a P.3 purchase permit and have bought a gun but have not yet received a P.4.

The sports exception matters for Thailand's competitive shooters, who would otherwise be unable to obtain new weapons for training or events during the next year.

December 9 deadline for buyers caught in the middle

The last group faces the tightest rules. People who bought a gun with a purchase permit but never received an ownership licence must take the weapon and its ammunition to their local registrar and apply for a P.4 by December 9. Officials will keep the gun while the application is reviewed.

If the applicant does not qualify, or if the minister refuses the request, the registrar will sell the gun at auction. Anyone who misses the December 9 deadline can be charged with possessing an unlicensed firearm, so affected owners in Phuket and elsewhere should contact their district registrar soon rather than wait.

Criticism in Parliament

The order has already been challenged in the House of Representatives. On November 11, Jaroyut Jaturaporpasit, a People's Party MP for Bangkok, argued that it adds more controls on people who own guns legally while doing nothing about the illegal weapons that are used in most crimes.

That argument is likely to continue. Supporters of the freeze say tighter licensing is a reasonable first step after a school shooting, while critics want more police action against unregistered guns and illegal trading networks.

What it means for foreigners in Phuket

The direct impact on expats and tourists is small. The Thaiger noted that Thailand's Firearms Act makes no provision for foreigners to apply for a civilian gun licence, so the ban mainly affects Thai nationals. Foreign residents were already outside the licensing system before this order.

For visitors, nothing changes at shooting ranges that operate under existing licences, and there is no new rule for travellers arriving at Phuket International Airport. Anyone who sees a crime or a threat involving a weapon should call the Tourist Police on 1155 or local police on 191. Our recent report on the Phuket Tourist Police explains how the service works, and our Thailand cyber alert coverage looks at other public safety warnings issued this month.

The government has not said whether the freeze could be extended beyond November 2027. Phuket Times will follow any changes, along with wider policing news such as the search covered in our missing in Phuket report.

Image: US Army M17 pistol training, used to illustrate the Thailand gun licence freeze. Photo by Davide Dalla Massara, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.