🔗 Share this article

Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. There is a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a series of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one mass shooting 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 Attack and the Role of Existing Regulations

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

Preventing another Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the horrific toll of the attack demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Ahead: Proposed Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will shortly enact a suite of measures to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation works together. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

There is the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Need and Security

There are legitimate needs for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are updated to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically 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 critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.