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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about public safety, and questions about how such an event could happen. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Function of Current Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the next round. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been available.

Stopping a future Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the united front.

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible toll of the attack demonstrates that current gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Road Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon enact a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding 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 much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Countering Common Arguments

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible 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 Security

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – what we must do – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years 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 make certain that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi events, "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 serve as the last one the nation experiences.