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In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing reckonings. There is a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing worry about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation experienced approximately one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Existing Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the next round. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

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

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific consequences of the attack demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Road Forward: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will shortly introduce a suite of reforms to reduce the public danger from firearms. The national government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Countering Common Objections

There is the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

There are valid reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked 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.