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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical conversations. There is a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an persistent worry about public safety, and questions about the way such an tragedy could happen. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Proven Response

Health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a series of measures to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the united front.

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific toll of the incident reveals that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Forward: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will shortly enact a suite of measures to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has proposed a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

All of this are only possible if the nation works together. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common Arguments

We hear the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, 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 overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to possess firearms. Farm work or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are as protected as past generations have been.

A friend observed after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.