The government is considering introducing fixed-term firearms possession licences as part of a comprehensive overhaul of Thailand's 1947 firearms law.

It also plans to impose stronger controls on the import, sale, transfer, possession and use of guns and ammunition.

Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt said the government would consult the Department of Provincial Administration (DPA), the Interior Ministry and the Council of State before seeking public input on amendments to the law, which has been in force for decades.

The existing system is largely manual, relying on district officials and paper licences, with inadequate links between importers, gun shops, buyers, owners and transfers. Mr Pakorn said the government plans to replace it with a real-time electronic system tracking firearms from importation and dealer stock through sales, ownership and transfers.

He said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed officials to consider time-limited possession licences, with an initial three-year period proposed. Transfers would also face tighter controls, including measures to prevent registered recipients from becoming nominal owners while the firearms are actually held by others.

Mr Pakorn said dealers should be accountable for whom they sell firearms to, while gun owners should face greater responsibility. He noted that firearms were sometimes pawned despite being registered property that could not legally be pledged.

Controls would also cover shooting ranges and ammunition, with quantities matched proportionately to the number of firearms. Discrepancies, including cases in which a single gun was associated with 30-40 rounds of ammunition, highlighted weaknesses in the current system.

He said the new licensing regime could include assessments of buyers' handling and behaviour, citing foreign systems. "A gun is not a pen that can simply be sold," he said, stressing the need for stringent controls.

The Revenue Department would also verify whether gun sales had been properly taxed. Temporary ministerial regulations may be issued while amendments to the law are being prepared, he said.

Mr Anutin said all current firearms-carrying permits had expired, meaning nobody in Thailand could legally carry a gun at present. The suspension applied to everyone, including politicians, who should set an example by complying with the law.

The cabinet also decided on Tuesday to suspend the issuance of purchase permits until further notice. This meant people can no longer buy guns, it said, citing the country's tens of millions of firearms.

Addressing the controversy over his earlier remarks that people should not shoot intruders to protect their property, Mr Anutin said any shooting would ultimately have to be assessed by a court.

"I may have communicated it too briefly," he said, adding that he simply wanted people to stay away from firearms because both those who are shot and those who use guns could suffer serious consequences.

"Staying away from guns is best," he added.