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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing reckonings. There is a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could occur. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Proven Response

Health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the terrible toll of the incident reveals that current gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been complacent and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Path Forward: Proposed Changes

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will shortly enact a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Common Arguments

We hear the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". 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 captain to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or culling pests 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 essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to ensure that firearm legislation are updated to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long 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 critical to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one friend observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.