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In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and questions about how such an event could happen. However, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Function of Existing Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved possessed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi demands national cohesion. Regrettably, we have already seen cracks in the united front.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the attack demonstrates that current gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in urban areas owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Forward: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will shortly enact a package of measures to reduce 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 aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

We hear the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and ensure that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

A friend observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.