BANGKOK, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday ordered a nationwide tightening of firearms controls, suspending gun purchase permits and cracking down on illegally held and black-market weapons through both emergency and long-term measures.

File photo: AFP

During a weekly cabinet meeting, Anutin called for coordinated action across multiple agencies to close gaps in the control system and keep firearms out of the hands of those who should not have them, said government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek.

With immediate effect, Rachada said, authorities will stop issuing firearm purchase permits and halt new welfare firearm schemes until the cabinet decides otherwise. Registrars must report to the Ministry of Interior within 30 days on outstanding permits not yet used for a purchase.

In a statement, Rachada said gun owners who bought weapons under an existing permit have 30 days from the date of the cabinet resolution to apply for a possession license or be treated as holding a firearm illegally.

The Department of Provincial Administration will audit dealers nationwide, reconciling sales against permits, while the Revenue Department examines their tax records, she said.

The department will also work with police and sports authorities to inspect ammunition held by shooting ranges and examine their tax records, with violations to be prosecuted, she said.

Authorities will step up a crackdown on illegal firearms, she added, with courts to be asked to impose severe penalties on offenders.

For longer-term measures, Rachada said the ministry is to draft amendments to the Firearms Act within 60 days, introducing real-time electronic licensing linked to customs and tax databases, expanded firearm identification records, greater dealer liability, and heavier penalties.

Possession licenses would require renewal every three years, and dealers and shooting ranges would have to reconcile sales against inventory daily, the spokeswoman noted.

The directives followed a mass shooting at a secondary school on the outskirts of Bangkok last week that killed nine people, including the alleged student attacker.