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

In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple critical conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about national security, and questions about how such an event could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Function of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid 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 different firearms had been accessible.

Preventing a future Bondi demands national cohesion. And unfortunately, we have already seen cracks in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the horrific consequences of the incident reveals that existing firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Forward: Proposed Changes

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will soon enact a suite of reforms to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

There is the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true in the identical way that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had been denied access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Need and Security

There are valid reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. 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 certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as past generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.