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In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent worry about national security, and questions about the way such an tragedy could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a suite of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

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

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific consequences of the incident demonstrates that existing gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will shortly enact a suite of reforms to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Objections

There is the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they used.

Weighing Necessity and Safety

There are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect 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 no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one friend observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.