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In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple critical reckonings. There is a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and inquiries about how such an event could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting 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.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths 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 fissures in the facade.

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific toll of the attack reveals that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Forward: Announced Reforms

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

All of this are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Objections

We hear the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is accurate in the identical way that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of guns from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as previous generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.