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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical reckonings. There is a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent worry about national security, and questions about how such an tragedy could occur. However, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the facade.

A System Under Strain

However, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Forward: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will soon enact a package of reforms to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The national government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is accurate in the identical way that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Security

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 guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are updated to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and make certain that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the last one the nation experiences.