Civilian firearm ownership and violence in Southeast Asia

Thailand has been identified as having one of the highest rates of civilian firearm ownership in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 10 to 10.3 million firearms in private hands. Data from the Small Arms Survey indicates approximately 15 guns per 100 inhabitants, a figure significantly higher than in neighboring Malaysia, Cambodia, or the Philippines. A critical issue involves the estimated 4.1 million unregistered weapons, representing nearly 40% of the total civilian stock, which complicates law enforcement efforts.

Concerns regarding civilian firearm access and storage have intensified following recent school shootings in Thailand and the Philippines. In Thailand, a 14-year-old student killed several teachers, staff, and a student outside Bangkok before committing suicide. In the Philippines, a student used a weapon belonging to his father, a customs police official, to kill a classmate before also committing suicide. These incidents have brought renewed attention to the high volume of civilian weapons in the region.