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Following the tragedy of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing worry about public safety, and questions about how such an tragedy could occur. However, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health experts have been sounding alarms about firearms for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a series of measures to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the next round. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the facade.

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific consequences of the incident reveals that current gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will soon introduce a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible if the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true 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 plane. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

There are valid needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to better match 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 no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are equally safe as previous generations have been.

A friend observed after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the last one the nation ever sees.