Shocking School Shooting in Thailand: 14-Year-Old Boy Kills Grandparents, Then Opens Fire at School, Killing 8; Survivors Say Shooter Was Bullied

On the afternoon of the 7th, a bloody school shooting in Bang Kruai district, southern Nonthaburi province, on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, shocked the entire nation. According to local media reports, a 14-year-old male middle school student first shot and killed his grandparents at home, then brought a firearm and large amounts of ammunition to his school, opening fire on teachers and students. The incident resulted in a tragedy that claimed at least eight lives, including the gunman himself.

Local police stated in a press release that preliminary investigations confirmed the 14-year-old shooter killed his grandparents at his residence in the morning of the 7th, then carried firearms and numerous live rounds to the school. After entering the campus, he began indiscriminately firing. Authorities recovered 26 spent shell casings and 34 unfired live rounds at the scene.

It is known that the shooter killed at least five people inside the school before collapsing and dying himself. However, it remains unclear whether the teenage gunman was fatally shot by responding police officers or died by suicide.

Survivor testimony: 'The shooter was constantly bullied,' with 'very professional' stance

Purin Khumchoo, a 17-year-old senior high school student who narrowly escaped being shot, recalled the incident, saying the shooter was his junior and had always seemed like a 'troubled youth.'

"Friends close to him said he was deeply obsessed with the FBI and firearms, and had been bullied by many at school for a long time. When I saw him point the gun at me, his shooting stance and aiming technique looked extremely professional—almost as if he had undergone long-term specialized training."

In the aftermath of the tragedy, dozens of mental health professionals and counselors have urgently arrived at the school to provide emergency psychological support to traumatized students, staff, and parents.

Strict regulations but shockingly high civilian gun ownership

Thailand has seen multiple shootings in recent years, prompting the government to tighten gun control laws significantly. Looking back to 2023, a 14-year-old boy opened fire with a modified handgun inside Siam Paragon, a famous shopping mall in Bangkok, killing two and injuring five. This incident triggered public outrage over rampant gun violence across Thai society.

Following that shooting, Anutin Charnvirakul, then Minister of Interior and now Prime Minister, immediately ordered emergency measures, including freezing all new personal firearm licenses and import permits, drastically reducing legal firearm and parts import quotas, and banning minors under 20 from entering shooting ranges or handling firearms.

Beyond emergency executive orders, the Thai government also advanced legal reforms requiring all firearm applicants and license holders to submit a "mental and psychological health assessment certificate" issued by accredited medical institutions. Only individuals deemed mentally fit would be granted or renewed their firearm licenses.

Thailand has long been considered one of the most loosely regulated countries in Southeast Asia regarding firearms. Data from the international research organization Small Arms Survey shows that as early as 2017, an estimated 10.3 million firearms—both legally registered and illegal black-market guns—were held by civilians in Thailand. This equates to roughly 15 guns per 100 residents, the highest gun ownership rate in Southeast Asia. Consequently, illegal gun trafficking and unauthorized firearm modifications remain major latent threats to public safety in Thailand.