The nation's Firearm Laws: A Global Model That Needs to Persist, Especially After Bondi

In the aftermath of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing conversations. There is a long-overdue national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about national security, and questions about how such an tragedy could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Response

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a series of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Current Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to chamber the next round. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Stopping another Bondi demands national cohesion. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

Legislation Showing Weakness

However, the horrific consequences of the attack demonstrates that current firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding new gun laws. New South Wales in particular will shortly enact a package of measures to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Objections

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

Weighing Need and Safety

There are legitimate reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect the world we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and ensure that future generations are as protected as past generations have been.

A friend remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.