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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could happen. However, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the most important discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Response

Public health experts have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. 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 fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

Legislation Under Strain

However, the terrible toll of the attack demonstrates that current gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in cities owning collections numbering in the hundreds.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will soon introduce a package of reforms to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible if 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 much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

We hear the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as previous generations have been.

A friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.