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In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could occur. However, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are now having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a series of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. 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 reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the next round. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been available.

Stopping a future Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the facade.

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific consequences of the incident reveals that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently 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 complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. The state of NSW specifically will soon enact a suite of reforms to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible if the nation works together. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. 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 state line.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "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 become the last one the nation experiences.