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In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about national security, and questions about the way such an tragedy could happen. But, as viewed of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Function of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced firearms had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

However, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that existing gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Forward: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will soon introduce a package of measures to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The national government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

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 reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Countering Frequent Arguments

We hear the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people internationally 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 not had access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Necessity and Security

There are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or controlling vermin in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of firearms 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 updated to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically 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 once was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.