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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could happen. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a series of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the next round. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced firearms had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will soon introduce a package of reforms to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are feasible provided that the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

We hear the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the firearms they used.

Weighing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban 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 better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are as protected as past generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the last one the nation experiences.