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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical reckonings. There is a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent worry about national security, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a suite of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Function of Existing Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been available.

Preventing another Bondi demands national cohesion. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Path Forward: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will shortly introduce a suite of measures to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible provided that the nation works together. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Common Objections

We hear the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". 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 quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Security

There are valid reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one commentator observed after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can become the final tragedy the nation experiences.