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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. There is a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could occur. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a series of measures to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Existing Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers 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, requiring a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced firearms had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, we have already seen cracks in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible toll of the incident reveals that current gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Ahead: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple announcements regarding new gun laws. New South Wales specifically will soon enact a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Countering Frequent Arguments

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to move 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Necessity and Safety

There are valid reasons for some Australians to own guns. Farm work or controlling vermin in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of guns from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are updated to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

A commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.