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Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. There is a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. However, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Public health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the individuals involved possessed 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 physical action to ready the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been available.

Stopping a future Bondi demands national cohesion. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

A System Under Strain

However, the terrible consequences of the incident reveals that current gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will shortly enact a package of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible if the nation works together. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common Arguments

There is the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Need and Security

There are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or controlling vermin 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.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.