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Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a suite of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been accessible.

Stopping another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the attack reveals that current firearm regulations are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Forward: Announced Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will soon enact a package of measures to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has proposed a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is 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 virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to accurately reflect 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 seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as previous generations have been.

A commentator remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies 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 attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.