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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing conversations. There is a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about national security, and questions about the way such an tragedy could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the most important discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

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 bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the next round. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been accessible.

Preventing a future Bondi demands unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the united front.

Legislation Showing Weakness

However, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Forward: Announced Changes

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will shortly introduce a package of reforms to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". 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 horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

There are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, 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 world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll 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 previous generations have been.

A commentator 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. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the last one the nation ever sees.