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In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about national security, and questions about the way such an tragedy could occur. But, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a suite of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

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

A System Under Strain

However, the terrible toll of the incident reveals that existing gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous declarations regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will soon introduce a suite of measures to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common Arguments

There is the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to move 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 not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, 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.