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In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could happen. But, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Public health experts have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a series of measures to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been accessible.

Stopping another Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the united front.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Ahead: Announced Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales specifically will soon introduce a package of reforms to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The national government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, despite the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Countering Common Arguments

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence 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 firearms they used.

Weighing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and make certain that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

A friend remarked after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.