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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could happen. But, as viewed of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms.

A Decade of Warnings and a Successful Response

Health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a series of measures to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Current Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to ready the next round. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different weapons had been available.

Stopping a future Bondi demands national cohesion. And unfortunately, there are already cracks in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

However, the terrible toll of the attack reveals that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Forward: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will soon introduce a package of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation works together. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons they possessed.

Weighing Need and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

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 taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

A commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but solely due to the fact that the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can become the final tragedy the nation experiences.