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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could happen. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Health experts have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a series of measures to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Existing Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different weapons had been available.

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

A System Under Strain

Yet, the horrific toll of the attack reveals that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning 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 new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will soon introduce a suite of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

We hear the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter 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.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Farm work or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically 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 previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation experiences.