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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent worry about public safety, and questions about the way such an event could happen. But, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a suite of measures to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none approaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the horrific toll of the attack reveals that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities owning collections numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Road Forward: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding new gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will shortly introduce a suite of reforms to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Common Arguments

We hear the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". 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 quite challenging for a captain to move 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Security

There are valid reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of guns 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 updated to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the envy of the world, but the passage of years 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 ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one commentator observed after the Bondi events, "things like this 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 hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.