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Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple critical conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about national security, and questions about the way such an event could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and implemented a series of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible consequences of the incident reveals that current firearm regulations 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 massacre, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Ahead: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales in particular will soon introduce a package of measures to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible if the nation works together. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

There is the inevitable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Security

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

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to better match the world 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 previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.