Australia's Gun Legislation: An International Model That Needs to Endure, Particularly After Bondi

In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing conversations. There is a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Response

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a series of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready the next round. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles commonplace in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

Yet, the horrific toll of the attack reveals that existing gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas owning collections numbering in the hundreds.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Road Ahead: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will shortly introduce a package of reforms to reduce the public danger from firearms. The federal government has proposed a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As stated, when it comes to firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian system – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Countering Common Arguments

There is the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The mass slaughter witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the firearms they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in many places is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the admiration 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 ensure that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.