🔗 Share this article

In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and inquiries about how such an event could occur. But, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the next round. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with lethal results, they remain far slower and less efficient than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

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

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific toll of the attack demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Path Forward: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales specifically will shortly introduce a package of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are feasible if 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 bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Frequent Arguments

There is the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A total ban 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 guarantee that gun laws are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's laws 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 once was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.