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Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about public safety, and questions about the way such an tragedy could happen. However, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the most important dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the horrific consequences of the attack reveals that current gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will shortly enact a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible if the nation works together. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.

Addressing Common Arguments

We hear the predictable 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. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons they possessed.

Weighing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.