Thailand confronts limits of firearm control

At a shooting range just outside Bangkok, a solitary shooter stands under a rusting awning and fires at a paper target about 10m away.

Krisakorn Boonwan wears flip flops and no ear protection as he fires round after round, shells bouncing at his feet. The only sounds are that of a creaking fan and the rhythmic punch of his handgun.



This is a sport for him. And despite the country still reeling after a pair of deadly shootings this month in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, he has little hesitation to keep training his skills with a firearm.

“I enjoy it because it helps my focus, composure, emotional control and physical readiness,” he said, adding that he has already introduced his 10-year-old daughter to shooting.



Still, the 41-year-old mechanic accepts that in the wake of recent violence, gun enthusiasts like him might be viewed differently in society and keeps his shooting activities off his social media accounts.

On Aug 7, a 14-year-old student used a 9mm handgun to kill his grandparents, five school staff members and a fellow student at Debsirin Nonthaburi School before killing himself. Three days later, a former politician allegedly shot and killed a local official over a purported financial dispute.