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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. But, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Public health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a suite of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready 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 frequently used in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been accessible.

Stopping another Bondi demands unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the horrific toll of the attack demonstrates that existing gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Ahead: Announced Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will shortly enact a package of reforms to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

There is the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

There are legitimate needs 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 not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are updated to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and make certain that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the final tragedy the nation experiences.