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In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing worry about public safety, and questions about the way such an event could occur. However, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Response

Public health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a series of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen cracks in the facade.

A System Under Strain

However, the terrible toll of the attack demonstrates that current firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will shortly introduce a suite of measures to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian system – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

There is the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to own 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 essential tools.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.