Shootouts involving hot-blooded youngsters are a common occurrence and the problem may be rooted in a government gun distribution policy gone wrong.
Police have been alarmed by the easy availability of firearms which have ended up in the hands of people who should not be carrying them, including youngsters.
They have found that arms smugglers are not the main suppliers of the weapons to the young people.
Rather, it is state officials and security personnel who are procuring the guns through the government's so-called "welfare firearms" distribution programme and reselling them illegally.
Under the scheme, the government sells guns of various makes at low prices to state officials through bulk purchases from manufacturers.
Those eligible for the programme must be stationed in the provinces and have security-related duties. The firearms are meant for self-defence.
The firearms sold under the programme are mostly 9mm handguns as well as the 11mm calibre and .22 calibre long rifles. Police said some officials who have bought the firearms later reported them missing and then re-sold them to the youngsters.
Pol Lt Gen Harnpol Nitwibul, commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 7, said a recent string of shootings in Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi and Saraburi was committed mostly by groups of young men. Innocent bystanders were among those killed in the shootouts.
The commissioner said the firearms distribution programme was the prime reason so many guns were so readily available.
And those who get a hold of the weapons keep getting younger.
"Now, even 15-year-olds carry guns. Every year, the state allows the import of 200,000-300,000 guns to be sold as welfare firearms," he said.
In the past, the programme was much stricter, as only police, military personnel and administration officials could buy the welfare guns.
But the buyers now extend to security volunteers and village guards.
"All they need is a written confirmation of their duty from the kamnan and village heads to obtain the firearms. This is how the weapons were leaked to the youngsters," he said.
Pol Lt Gen Harnpol said procuring guns in the provinces is less of a hassle than in Bangkok. Individuals looking for guns in the provinces are not subject to rigorous criminal background checks.
Some of the volunteers who had acquired the guns are now under the false impression the law is in their hands, he said.
They have established themselves as mafia figures or work as armed escorts for local politicians.
"We need to end the welfare gun programme. The sooner the better," he said. He said the Interior Ministry distributes a large amount of firearms under the programme. It is in stark contrast to quotas allocated to each gun shop which can only sell up to 30 guns a year under the programme.
Pol Lt Gen Harnpol said some government personnel possess 7-8 welfare guns each.
"If they didn't have ulterior motives, they wouldn't have this many guns," he said.
He said the government must review the programme, or the police's weapons crackdown will be a futile exercise.
Roadside checkpoints have turned up many weapons but the police cannot keep up with the constant stream of illegal guns that hit the market.
Teenagers have been known to post pictures of the caches of guns they own on Facebook. The images were intended to intimidate rival groups.
Pol Lt Gen Harnpol said a group of delinquents in Ratchaburi uploaded on their Facebook page pictures of almost a dozen high-powered guns which they claimed to own. "These youngsters aren't afraid of police any more," he said.
To be fair, the commissioner added, the police are also to blame for their lax enforcement of the law.
"Society is changing," Pol Lt Gen Harnpol said. "We used to see godfathers rule the gangs. They were fighting for their own interests, so they didn't trouble many people. Today though, it's the teenagers who turn themselves into gangsters and perpetrate senseless slaughters on the streets."
Contact Crime Track: crimetrack@bangkokpost.co.th