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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several pressing conversations. There is a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Response

Health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a series of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Existing 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 at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been available.

Stopping another Bondi demands unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

However, the horrific toll of the incident demonstrates that existing gun laws 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 massacre, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Forward: Proposed Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon enact a package of reforms to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are feasible if the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Countering Common Arguments

There is the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed 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 Necessity and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or controlling vermin in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized 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 taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one commentator observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.