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Following the tragedy of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and inquiries about the way such an event could happen. However, from the perspective of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Response

Public health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none approaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the next round. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if different weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen cracks in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that existing gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in cities owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Forward: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon introduce a package of reforms to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The national government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible if the nation works together. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a border.

Countering Common Objections

We hear the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Need and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are updated to better match the world 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 vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.