The nation's Firearm Legislation: An International Example That Needs to Endure, Particularly After Bondi

Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing worry about national security, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the most important discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Response

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Current Regulations

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 weapons can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

Preventing another Bondi demands unity across all states. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the united front.

A System Under Strain

However, the horrific consequences of the attack demonstrates that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Forward: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will shortly introduce a package of reforms to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has proposed a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

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

Addressing Frequent Arguments

There is the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had been denied access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Security

There are valid needs for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws 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 learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one friend observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can become the last one the nation experiences.