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In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about national security, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a suite of measures to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately 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

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the next round. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international attacks. 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. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the united front.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the terrible toll of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Forward: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales in particular will soon enact a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, 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 system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a state line.

Countering Frequent Arguments

There is the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons they used.

Weighing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected 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 collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.