The government appears to be serious about controlling gun ownership and cracking down on illicit drug trafficking in the aftermath of the recent massacre at a childcare centre in Nong Bua Lam Phu province, where a total of 36 people, mostly pre-school children, were killed by a former police officer. The measures prescribed last week following a cabinet meeting attended by related ministries, however, regrettably left one crucial element off the table -- the major source of the guns on sale on the market.
Proposed measures focus on the requirement of a certified psychological evaluation for persons who want to buy a gun to make it harder to legally acquire a gun; random psychological evaluation of police officers to be done periodically and confiscation of their service pistols if they are found to be mentally unfit; an amnesty for owners of illegal firearms if they agree to surrender them to the authorities; and gun licence renewals like for a driver's licence.
