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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. There is a long-overdue national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could happen. But, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a series of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the next round. While these guns can be fired rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been accessible.

Stopping another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

However, the horrific consequences of the attack reveals that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will soon enact a package of reforms to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Common Arguments

We hear the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The mass slaughter seen 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 used.

Balancing Need and Security

There are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or controlling vermin in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws 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 taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and make certain 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 maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.