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Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an persistent worry about national security, and questions about how such an event could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Response

Health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a series of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the next round. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been accessible.

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

A System Showing Weakness

However, the terrible toll of the attack reveals that current gun laws are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will shortly introduce a package of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible if the nation works together. As noted, regarding 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 avoided with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

There is the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas 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 weapons they possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in rural areas 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 – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are updated to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and make certain that future generations are as protected as past generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.