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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical reckonings. There is a long-overdue national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. However, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Public health experts have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a series of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Function of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi demands national cohesion. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the facade.

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific toll of the attack reveals that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will shortly introduce a suite of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of coordinating 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 least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Countering Common Arguments

We hear the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed 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 firearms they used.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

There are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of guns from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are updated to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance 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 make certain that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the last one the nation experiences.