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In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent 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 finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Successful Solution

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a suite of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

Stopping another Bondi demands national cohesion. And unfortunately, we have already seen cracks in the united front.

Legislation Under Strain

However, the horrific toll of the attack reveals that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Ahead: Announced Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding new gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon enact a package of reforms to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are only possible if 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 bypassed with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Common Objections

We hear the inevitable response that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had been denied access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Need and Safety

There are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to better match the society 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 no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one friend observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the last one the nation ever sees.