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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent worry about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could occur. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and implemented a series of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the terrible consequences of the incident reveals that current gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been numerous declarations regarding new firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will soon enact a package of reforms to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has proposed a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are only possible if the nation works together. As stated, regarding 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 avoided with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

There is the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense 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 internationally without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.