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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical reckonings. There is a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the most important discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Public health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Function of Existing Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi demands unity across all states. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

However, the terrible toll of the attack demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will soon enact a suite of reforms to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

We hear the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs 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 essential tools.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

A commentator 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 collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the last one the nation ever sees.