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In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple critical conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent worry about national security, and questions about the way such an tragedy could occur. However, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Response

Public health experts have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a suite of measures to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Before 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare 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 not entirely useless. It has been suggested the individuals involved might have been armed 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 next round. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced firearms had been available.

Stopping a future Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible consequences of the attack reveals that existing gun laws are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their efficacy. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

The nation has grown complacent and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Path Forward: Announced Changes

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will shortly enact a package of measures to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, despite the inherent challenges of coordinating state and federal governments.

All of this are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a state line.

Countering Common Arguments

There is the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. 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 firearms they used.

Balancing Necessity and Safety

There are valid needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are essential tools.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are updated to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe 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 previous generations have been.

As one commentator remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. However horrific as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.