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In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about national security, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could happen. But, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms 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 reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the next round. While these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced firearms had been available.

Stopping another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the united front.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the attack reveals that current gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Ahead: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will soon introduce a package of measures to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are feasible if the nation works together. As stated, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Objections

We hear the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is true in the identical way that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they used.

Weighing Necessity and Security

There are valid reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as previous generations have been.

A friend observed 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 keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.