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In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing conversations. There is a long-overdue national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about national security, and questions about the way such an event could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Public health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident 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.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the next round. While these guns can be fired rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced firearms had been accessible.

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

Legislation Showing Weakness

However, the terrible toll of the incident demonstrates that existing gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will soon introduce a suite of measures to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are feasible if the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to 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 easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common Arguments

There is the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

There are valid reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have long 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 vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as past generations have been.

A friend remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies 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 become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.