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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical reckonings. There is a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Response

Health experts have been sounding alarms about firearms for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none approaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

However, the terrible toll of the incident demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Road Forward: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will shortly enact a suite of reforms to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating 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 system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Objections

There is the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and make certain that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one commentator observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.