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In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing reckonings. There is a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and questions about the way such an tragedy could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are now having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Successful Response

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a series of measures to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Current Laws

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed 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 manual operation to chamber the next round. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the united front.

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific consequences of the attack reveals that current gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been complacent 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. New South Wales specifically will soon introduce a suite of reforms to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common Objections

There is the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the weapons they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

There are legitimate needs for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or controlling vermin in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are equally safe as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can become the last one the nation experiences.