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Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting several pressing conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent worry about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an event could happen. However, from the perspective of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount dialogue we are finally having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Response

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians came together and implemented a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and less efficient than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing a future Bondi demands national cohesion. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

A System Under Strain

However, the terrible toll of the attack demonstrates that current gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Forward: Proposed Changes

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding new firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will soon introduce a suite of reforms to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are feasible if the nation works together. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Countering Common 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. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The mass slaughter 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 weapons they used.

Weighing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to guarantee 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 once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

A commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.