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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. However, as viewed of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a suite of measures to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none approaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the next round. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been available.

Preventing another Bondi demands national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the facade.

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific consequences of the attack reveals that existing gun laws are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Path Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon enact a suite of reforms to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible if 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 very nature of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.

Countering Common Arguments

There is the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of guns from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one commentator observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.