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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. There is a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing worry about national security, and questions about how such an tragedy could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and implemented a suite of measures to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately 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 Role of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been available.

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

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will soon introduce a suite of reforms to reduce the public danger from firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Common Arguments

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true 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 move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the weapons they possessed.

Weighing Necessity and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or culling pests 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 ensure that gun laws are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain 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". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.