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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an event could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a series of measures to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Current Laws

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been available.

Preventing another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the united front.

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that current gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Forward: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding new gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will soon introduce a suite of measures to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, when it comes to gun control, 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 avoided with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Common Objections

There is the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the weapons they used.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

There are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to ensure that firearm legislation are updated to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is less secure 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 previous generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because 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.