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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a series of measures to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. 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 reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested 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 significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been available.

Preventing another Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the horrific toll of the attack demonstrates that existing gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Forward: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales specifically will shortly enact a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The federal government has proposed a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible if the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Frequent Objections

We hear the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is true in the identical way that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen 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 firearms they used.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

There are valid reasons for some Australians to own guns. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are updated to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

A commentator observed 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. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.