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Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. There is a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about public safety, and questions about the way such an event could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are now having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together 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. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers possessed 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 next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced firearms had been accessible.

Stopping another Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, we have already seen cracks in the united front.

Legislation Showing Weakness

However, the horrific toll of the attack reveals that existing gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Forward: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will soon introduce a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The federal government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible if the nation works together. As stated, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

There is the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to move 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Necessity and Security

There are valid reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.