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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 focus on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about national security, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Response

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a suite of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi demands national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the united front.

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the horrific toll of the incident reveals that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Path Ahead: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales in particular will soon introduce a suite of reforms to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The national government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, despite the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Countering Common Objections

We hear the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll 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 previous generations have been.

A friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.