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Following the tragedy of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about public safety, and questions about the way such an event could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a suite of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident 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 Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the next round. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen cracks in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

However, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that current gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Ahead: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will soon introduce a package of measures to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Addressing Common Objections

There is the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true 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 overseas without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or culling pests 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 essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

A friend observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.