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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about national security, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could occur. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Response

Health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a series of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 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 reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different weapons had been accessible.

Stopping another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen cracks in the facade.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the horrific toll of the attack demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Forward: Proposed Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will shortly introduce a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible if the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to gun control, 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 avoided with a journey across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

There is the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to own guns. Farm work or controlling vermin in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that firearm legislation are updated to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.