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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing reckonings. There is a long-overdue national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about national security, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. But, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Successful Response

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite 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 significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Current Laws

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if different weapons had been accessible.

Stopping another Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible consequences of the attack demonstrates that existing gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Forward: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding new gun laws. New South Wales specifically will shortly enact a package of reforms to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Objections

There is the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Security

There are legitimate reasons for some Australians to own guns. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

A friend observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the last one the nation ever sees.