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Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical reckonings. There is a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent worry about public safety, and questions about the way such an tragedy could happen. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the most important discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Proven Response

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible toll of the attack demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Forward: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will soon introduce a package of reforms to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible if the nation works together. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive 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 identical way that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

There are valid needs for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are essential tools.

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

As one friend observed after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.