The nation's Gun Laws: A Global Model That Must Endure, Especially After Bondi

In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about national security, and questions about the way such an tragedy could happen. 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 Successful Solution

Health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a series of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the next round. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid 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 firearms had been available.

Preventing another Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the horrific toll of the incident demonstrates that current gun laws are inadequate. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds.

The nation has grown overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Ahead: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been numerous announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will shortly enact a package of measures to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The national government has announced a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common Objections

We hear the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws 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 less secure as it previously was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one friend remarked after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.