Thai leader suspends firearm purchase licenses after school shooting

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also said existing licenses would be reviewed after a 14-year-old gunman killed nine people in the Southeast Asian nation’s worst mass killing in years.

BANGKOK — Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday suspended the issuance of permits to buy firearms and said existing licenses would be reviewed, days after a 14-year-old gunman killed nine people.

Anutin directed a deputy prime minister overseeing legal affairs to expedite a new gun control law, with stronger controls and significantly harsher penalties.

Shooting at Thailand school leaves multiple dead

Police were also ordered to stop renewing permits that enable people to buy firearms.

Registered firearms must be kept at home and cannot be carried in public, Anutin said, reiterating the current law.