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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could occur. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and implemented a series of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen cracks in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

However, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new gun laws. New South Wales in particular will soon introduce a suite of measures to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The national government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people internationally without the plane. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Necessity and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.