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Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an persistent worry about national security, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could happen. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Function of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi demands national cohesion. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the facade.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the terrible toll of the attack reveals that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Forward: Announced Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will shortly introduce a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that 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 – regulations in one state are much less meaningful 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, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people internationally without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons they used.

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 total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

A friend remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.