Australia's Gun Laws: An International Example That Must Persist, Particularly After Bondi

In the aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an persistent worry about national security, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. However, from the perspective of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the most important discussion we are now having revolves around firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite of reforms to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the next round. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been accessible.

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

A System Showing Weakness

However, the terrible toll of the incident demonstrates that current firearm regulations are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Ahead: Proposed Reforms

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding new firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will soon introduce a package of measures to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments.

All of this are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Countering Frequent Arguments

There is the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is true in the identical way that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to possess firearms. 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 essential tools.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the envy of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously 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 observed after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.