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Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing worry about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health experts have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation experienced approximately one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower 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 different weapons had been accessible.

Preventing a future Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the terrible consequences of the attack demonstrates that current gun laws are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Path Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will soon enact a suite of measures to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation works together. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Objections

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Safety

There are valid needs for some Australians to own guns. Farm work or culling pests in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban 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 guarantee that firearm legislation are updated to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have long 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 coming Australians are equally safe as previous generations have been.

A friend observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies 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 an aspiration that it can become the last one the nation experiences.