A 14-year-old boy opened fire at a school outside Bangkok on Friday after killing his grandparents at their home, killing seven people and injuring 30 others before taking his own life. The attack has renewed scrutiny of Thailand’s high levels of gun ownership. Despite having strict gun laws, Thailand has a booming black market for firearms. There are roughly 15 guns per 100 residents, the highest in the region by far. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul quickly responded by vowing tougher gun-control legislation and a renewed crackdown on illegal weapons.
Hard Numbers
School shooting in Thailand puts gun ownership in focus
Will Fitzpatrick
By Will FitzpatrickAugust 07, 2026
Will Fitzpatrick
Will Fitzpatrick is a multimedia reporter and producer at GZERO, where he does a little bit of everything: writing for the GZERO Daily, creating social videos, producing GZERO World, and whatever else the news cycle throws his way.
Before GZERO, Will worked in documentary film on both the production and post-production sides, including on Everest: The Other Side and on The First Wave. He has also directed and produced two short documentaries of his own. Outside the film world, Will has worked as a freelance journalist, with reporting that has taken him from the dhow workshops of Oman to the mountains of Patagonia, with plenty of stops in between. He’s especially interested in the niche, hard-to-reach, and underreported stories that reveal something bigger about how the world works.
Will studied economics and world politics at Hamilton College and received his Master’s in journalism from New York University. When he's not reporting, you can likely find Will tending to his oyster farm, on a bike, or somewhere outdoors.
