Thailand Tightens Gun Laws After School Massacre
A 14-year-old student killed five people at a school in Bangkok, as well as his grandparents before the attack. Authorities announce urgent measures for mental health and gun control.
A 14-year-old student killed five people at a school in Bangkok, as well as his grandparents before the attack. Authorities announce urgent measures for mental health and gun control.
The death toll from the school shooting in Thailand has risen to nine, authorities confirmed on Saturday. A 14-year-old student opened fire on Friday, August 7, 2026, at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bangkok. In the attack on the educational institution, he killed five people-all teachers and staff-and wounded 30 others, nine of whom are in critical condition. Before arriving at the school, the teenager also killed his grandparents at home, then took his own life, bringing the total number of victims to nine.
Local police commander Dechrapee Kongdee stated that the perpetrator was a student at the same school. According to him, the young man took his own life after the shooting at the school. The bodies of his grandparents were only discovered later when police searched the family home. All those killed at the school were teachers and staff, Thai police reported.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revealed details of the investigation, stating that the teenager, according to the testimony of a close friend interviewed by police, was "under stress related to studying" and had "clearly" planned the attack. "The attack was well-planned, with clear steps and defined targets," Prime Minister Charnvirakul said.
Police believe the student fired at least 26 rounds from a weapon belonging to his grandfather. At the moment he shot himself, there were still about 30 rounds left in the weapon. National police chief, General Kittiratt Phanphet, highlighted the alarming precision of the attack, saying that multiple shots hit vital parts of the victims' bodies, which will be subject to further investigation.
Debsirin Nonthaburi School, located in Bang Kruai district in Nonthaburi province, northwest of the capital, had approximately 3,100 students and 147 teachers as of 2025. Witnesses described chaotic scenes as students hid in classrooms while gunshots echoed from another building.
"At first I didn't think it was a gun. There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again," an 18-year-old student who witnessed the attack told Reuters.
Students fled the school in panic as the injured were loaded into ambulances. Photos from the scene show teachers hugging and crying, and medical staff providing aid to the injured on stretchers in front of ambulances.
This attack is the latest in a series of firearm incidents that have shaken Thailand, a country that has faced a rise in mass shootings in recent years and is gaining a reputation associated with such tragedies. In February 2026, a shooting at a school in Hat Yai district in the south of the country killed a teacher and injured a student. These events have once again brought the issue of gun control to the forefront and prompted authorities to make new promises of reforms.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Yodchanan Wongsawat, announced the imminent presentation of an action plan for mental health. "In terms of care measures, including various forms of support, this will cover both professors and students," Wongsawat stated, signaling that authorities intend to systematically address this issue.
