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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and questions about the way such an tragedy could occur. But, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Function of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the next round. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and less efficient than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different weapons had been accessible.

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

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the horrific toll of the attack demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Forward: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will soon introduce a package of measures to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, despite the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible if the nation works together. As stated, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Weighing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the society 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 once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

As one friend observed after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.