🔗 Share this article

Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. However, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none approaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

A System Under Strain

However, the terrible toll of the incident reveals that current gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently 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 complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will shortly introduce a package of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible 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 system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.

Countering Common Objections

We hear the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people internationally without the plane. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons they used.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

There are legitimate needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation 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 no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as previous generations have been.

A 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. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.