BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s gun sports community is seeking an exemption for licensed athletes after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered tighter controls on firearms, with associations warning the measures could disrupt training, domestic competitions and international events.
Representatives of Thailand’s three major shooting sports associations said the restrictions could make it difficult for athletes to transport firearms to training venues and competitions, while also creating complications for Thai teams travelling overseas and foreign athletes bringing competition firearms into Thailand.
Chalitrat Chantrubeksa, secretary-general of the Practical Shooting Association of Thailand, said the associations’ responsibilities extend beyond elite competition to developing young athletes, training coaches, organising national championships and sending national teams to major international events including the Olympics, Asian Games, SEA Games and world championships. He said the associations normally plan competition calendars a year in advance and coordinate with international federations. Restrictions on transporting firearms could therefore affect events already planned and create financial losses for athletes and organisers.
One example is the Kings Cup 2026, a Thailand national championship scheduled for September. The international practical shooting event is expected to attract more than 100 foreign athletes and around 200 Thai competitors. Participants have already booked flights and accommodation, raising concerns over how they would legally bring their competition firearms into the country. Thai national athletes are also scheduled to compete at a world practical shotgun championship in Greece in September. Chalitrat said travel arrangements and expenses have already been paid, while athletes also need continued training before the event.
He stressed that the associations were not challenging the government’s overall weapons policy but were asking the Prime Minister to instruct relevant agencies to establish provisions allowing licensed shooting athletes to transport and use firearms specifically for recognised sporting purposes under Thailand’s sports regulations.
Yutthana Phanitpichetwong, president of the Thailand Shooting Sports Association, said clay shooting athletes were also heavily affected because they must transport their firearms to approved training and competition venues. He said athletes typically transport their firearms securely in locked cases and called on the government to reconsider the restrictions for athletes officially recognised by sports associations and operating under international federation rules.
The associations said a carefully regulated sporting exemption would allow Thailand to maintain its international competitions, develop national athletes and continue participation in major global sporting events while maintaining appropriate firearm controls.
