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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing conversations. There is a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and questions about how such an tragedy could occur. But, as viewed of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Response

Health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the facade.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the horrific consequences of the attack reveals that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will shortly enact a package of measures to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, despite the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Countering Common Arguments

There is the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the firearms they used.

Weighing Need and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are updated to accurately reflect 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 once was. It is critical 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, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the last one the nation ever sees.