DOPA orders nationwide firearm controls and 60-day law overhaul

Narucha Kosacivilize, director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA), has signed a most urgent letter to provincial chief administrative officers nationwide, instructing all local registrars to prepare for and implement the prime minister’s orders to strengthen controls over firearms and ammunition.

The measures cover the entire system, from licensing, sales and possession to the suppression of illegal firearms.

Immediate measures

Under the urgent measures, authorities must suspend approval of new welfare gun schemes and temporarily halt the issuance of firearm purchase permits, known as Por 3 licences, until the Cabinet decides otherwise.

Registrars nationwide must also examine all outstanding Por 3 licences for which no firearm purchase has yet been completed and report the figures to the Interior Ministry within 30 days.

Those who have already received a Por 3 licence and purchased a firearm must apply for a Por 4 licence, which allows possession and use of that firearm, within 30 days of the Cabinet resolution. Failure to do so could result in the firearm being treated as unlawfully possessed.

DOPA will also urgently inspect the firearm and ammunition sales records of every licensed dealer and compare them with the number of Por 3 permits issued.

Any irregularities or discrepancies will result in decisive legal action. The Revenue Department will also be asked to examine dealers’ tax payment records.

For shooting ranges, DOPA will work with the Royal Thai Police and the Sports Authority of Thailand to determine whether ammunition held by each range complies with the law.

Any violations will be prosecuted, with tax records also subject to inspection.

Administrative authorities and police will meanwhile intensify operations against illegal firearms. Offenders will face legal action, and authorities will ask courts to consider imposing severe penalties.

Firearms law to be amended within 60 days

For the longer term, the Interior Ministry has been assigned to propose amendments to the Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks and Imitation Firearms Act B.E. 2490 (1947) to bring it into line with current circumstances.

The planned reforms include introducing a real-time electronic system covering every stage of firearm licensing and transactions, with data linked to the Customs Department and Revenue Department.

Authorities also plan to improve the recording of firearms’ identifying characteristics, strengthen controls over the firearms trade, define dealers’ responsibilities for public safety and increase penalties for offenders.

The amended bill must be submitted within 60 days.

The proposals would also require Por 4 firearm possession and use licences to be renewed every five years.

Controls over ammunition sales by firearm dealers and shooting ranges would be tightened further, with daily reconciliation of sales records against remaining inventory.

Narucha said DOPA had responded to the instructions of the prime minister and Interior Ministry by ordering administrative authorities and registrars nationwide to prepare to implement the measures strictly.

Once DOPA formally receives the prime minister’s detailed instructions, it will immediately issue a further directive setting out operational procedures for all registrars.

All areas have also been instructed to closely monitor developments and remain ready to implement the new controls.

The latest measures follow two deadly shootings in Nonthaburi province within less than a week — one at a school and another at a local government office. The incidents renewed public pressure on the government to strengthen licensing controls, improve enforcement and reduce the number of firearms circulating in Thai society.