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In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical reckonings. There is a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing worry 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 most important discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a series of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Current Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly 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 number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been accessible.

Stopping another Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the facade.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that existing gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Forward: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales in particular will soon enact a suite of measures 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 complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation works together. As stated, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a state line.

Countering Frequent Objections

There is the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to move 500 people internationally without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock 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.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has done its work 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 coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one commentator observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.