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Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could happen. However, from the perspective of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a suite of measures to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none approaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Function of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber 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 commonplace in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been available.

Preventing another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the attack demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon enact a package of measures to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible if the nation works together. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is the inevitable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's laws have historically 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 critical to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

A friend observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.