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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical conversations. There is a long-overdue national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and enacted a series of measures to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none approaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the alleged attackers might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain far slower and less efficient than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the united front.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the terrible toll of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas owning collections numbering in the hundreds.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding new gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon introduce a package of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

All of this are only possible provided that the nation works together. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Countering Frequent Objections

We hear the inevitable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Need and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or controlling vermin in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.