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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent worry about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Public health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a suite of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none approaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Current Laws

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 can only fire a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the next round. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi demands national cohesion. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

However, the terrible consequences of the attack reveals that existing gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Ahead: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous declarations regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will shortly enact a package of measures to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible if the nation works together. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Objections

There is the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot 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 accused individuals had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or controlling vermin in many places 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 society we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies 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 attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.