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

Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Health experts have been sounding alarms about firearms for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and implemented a suite of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none approaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved possessed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible toll of the attack reveals that existing gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some citizens in urban areas owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

We have been overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Road Forward: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will shortly enact a package of reforms to reduce the public danger from firearms. The national government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

There is the predictable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the firearms they possessed.

Weighing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess guns. Farm work or culling pests in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that gun laws are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but time and distance has done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation experiences.