🔗 Share this article

In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing worry about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could occur. However, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a suite of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

Stopping a future Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the facade.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the terrible toll of the attack reveals that current gun laws are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will shortly introduce a suite of reforms to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As stated, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common Objections

There is the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, 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 move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the weapons they used.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

There are valid reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or controlling vermin in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the world 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 make certain that future generations are equally safe as previous generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has made concerted efforts 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.