🔗 Share this article

In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. But, as viewed of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Public health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least 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. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Function of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws 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, necessitating a physical action to chamber the next round. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different weapons had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will soon introduce a suite of reforms to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are only possible provided that the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. 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.

Addressing Frequent Objections

There is the inevitable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to move 500 people internationally without the plane. 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 firearms they used.

Weighing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are updated to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the admiration 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 previous generations have been.

As one friend observed after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can become the last one the nation ever sees.