🔗 Share this article

Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and inquiries about how such an event could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a series of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities 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 a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the facade.

Legislation Under Strain

However, the horrific consequences of the attack reveals that existing gun laws are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Forward: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new gun laws. New South Wales specifically will shortly introduce a package of reforms to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

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, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Need and Security

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the envy of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

A friend observed 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. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.