Video of village headman firing rifle at home in Suphan Buri raises legal questions
Police have been urged to review a clip shared online after a man described as a village headman in Suphan Buri is shown firing a rifle on private property, saying it was to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
The Facebook page พระจันทร์ ลายกระต่าย V7 shared the clip today, February 17, claiming the man in the footage is a village headman in a Suphan Buri subdistrict.
In the video, the man displays his firearm and says he intentionally fired shots to celebrate the Chinese New Year, choosing gunfire instead of setting off firecrackers.
He is heard saying that he did it to please spiritual figures he reveres, including a hermit-sage spirit and a shrine, which he claimed prefer that type of tribute.
The clip shows him firing a rifle around ten times, angling the muzzle down towards a patch of grass as the shots echo out across the area. The man also claims that firing the gun on his own property is legal and that the firearm is licensed.
The page urged local police to check whether the act was lawful, citing the Firearms Act B.E. 2490 (1947), Section 8 bis, which it said bans carrying a gun in a town, village or public place without permission, punishable by up to five years in prison or a 10,000 baht fine.
The page also stated that if a shot were to land on someone’s home and cause property damage, or if a bullet were to strike a resident causing injury or death, criminal liability could follow, reported ONE News.
It cited the Criminal Code, saying Section 291 covers negligent acts causing death, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a 200,000 baht fine, and Section 300 covers negligent acts causing serious injury, punishable by up to three years in prison, a 60,000 baht fine, or both.
Elsewhere, a boy was fatally shot inside his home in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district while spending time with friends. Police believe the victim may have been handling the firearm recklessly before it discharged.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
