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Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about national security, and questions about how such an tragedy could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a series of measures to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Existing Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the next round. While these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been available.

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

A System Showing Weakness

However, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that existing gun laws are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Forward: Proposed Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will shortly introduce a suite of measures to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible if the nation works together. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to move 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 been denied access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

A commentator remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the last one the nation ever sees.