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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing reckonings. There is a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the most important dialogue we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Successful Response

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a series of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Function of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready the next round. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

Stopping another Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the united front.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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 numerous declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will shortly introduce a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Frequent Arguments

We hear the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

There are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of guns from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

A friend observed 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 attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.