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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a suite of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the next round. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing a future Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

However, the horrific toll of the incident demonstrates that existing gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Road Ahead: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will shortly introduce a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Frequent Objections

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or controlling vermin 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.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation 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 previously was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.