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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical reckonings. There is a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an persistent worry about national security, and inquiries about the way such an event could happen. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a suite of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been available.

Stopping a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen cracks in the united front.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

The nation has grown complacent and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will soon enact a package of measures to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. 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 border.

Addressing Common Objections

We hear the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true in the identical way that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are updated to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

A friend observed after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.