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In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent worry about national security, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could happen. But, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Response

Public health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a series of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws 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 are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the next round. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been available.

Stopping a future Bondi demands unity across all states. And unfortunately, we have already seen cracks in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible consequences of the incident reveals that existing firearm regulations are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Forward: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding new firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will soon introduce a suite of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common Objections

We hear the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of guns from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are indispensable.

What we can do – what we must do – is to guarantee that gun laws are updated to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is less secure 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 commentator 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 keep itself safe. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can become the final tragedy the nation experiences.