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In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing conversations. There is a long-overdue national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about national security, and questions about the way such an tragedy could occur. But, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a suite of measures to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Existing Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws 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 can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the next round. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been accessible.

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

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible toll of the attack reveals that current gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Road Ahead: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will soon introduce a suite of measures to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The national government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation works together. As stated, when it comes to gun control, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Common Objections

There is the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they used.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

There are legitimate needs for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

A friend observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.