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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and questions about how such an event could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Response

Health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, 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. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been available.

Preventing another Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the facade.

A System Under Strain

However, the terrible consequences of the incident reveals that current gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Ahead: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales in particular will shortly introduce a package 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 national firearms registry, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible provided that the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Addressing Frequent Objections

We hear the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Need and Safety

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

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

A friend remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.