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Following the tragedy of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about national security, and questions about the way such an event could occur. But, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are now having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a series of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none approaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles commonplace in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, we have already seen cracks in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the horrific toll of the incident demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Forward: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will shortly introduce a suite of measures to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible if the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common Objections

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Security

There are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or culling pests in many places is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

A 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 made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.