🔗 Share this article The nation's Firearm Legislation: An International Model That Must Endure, Particularly After Bondi Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight 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 discussion we are finally having centers on firearms. A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution Health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a suite of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none approaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s. The Bondi Attack and the Role of Current Laws Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced firearms had been available. Preventing a future Bondi demands national cohesion. Regrettably, we have already seen cracks in the facade. Legislation Under Strain However, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that current gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds. We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly. The Road Ahead: Proposed Reforms Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales in particular will soon introduce a package of reforms to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments. All of this are only possible if the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border. Addressing Common Arguments We hear the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to move 500 people internationally without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons they possessed. Balancing Need and Security It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools. The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are equally safe 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 maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can become the last one the nation experiences.