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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple critical reckonings. There is a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about national security, and questions about how such an event could occur. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a suite of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. 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 fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the horrific toll of the attack demonstrates that current firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

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 soon enact a package of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible if the nation works together. As stated, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

There is the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators 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 horrific violence 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 weapons they used.

Weighing Need and Security

There are legitimate reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance 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 as protected as previous generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi attack, "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 incident was, there is hope that it can become the last one the nation ever sees.