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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could occur. However, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Response

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. 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 single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been accessible.

Stopping a future Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, we have already seen cracks in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible consequences of the incident demonstrates that current gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Road Forward: Announced Changes

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous declarations regarding new gun laws. New South Wales specifically will soon enact a suite of measures to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding firearm laws, 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 bypassed with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Common Objections

There is the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as past generations have been.

As one friend observed after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. However horrific as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.