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Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing reckonings. There is a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could occur. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important discussion we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the united front.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the terrible consequences of the attack demonstrates that current firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Forward: Announced Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding new gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon enact a package of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation works together. As stated, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Common Objections

We hear the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to possess firearms. Farm work or controlling vermin in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are updated to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

A 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 made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.