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Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about public safety, and questions about the way such an event could happen. However, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a series of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the united front.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the terrible toll of the incident reveals that current gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Road Ahead: Proposed Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will shortly enact a package of measures to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has proposed a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible provided that the nation works together. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Common Objections

We hear the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense 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 plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they possessed.

Weighing Necessity and Security

There are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it once 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.

As one friend remarked 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 serve as the last one the nation experiences.