🔗 Share this article Australia's Firearm Laws: A Global Example That Needs to Persist, Especially After Bondi In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting several pressing conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about national security, and questions about how such an tragedy could occur. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important dialogue we are now having revolves around firearms. A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Response Public health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and implemented a suite of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one large-scale firearm incident 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. This Recent Attack and the Function of Existing Laws Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's gun laws 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 weapons can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the next round. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with lethal results, they remain far slower and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been accessible. Stopping a future Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the united front. A System Under Strain Yet, the terrible toll of the incident reveals that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding collections numbering in the hundreds. The nation has grown complacent and it has cost us terribly. The Road Forward: Proposed Reforms In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous declarations regarding new gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon enact a package of reforms to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions. All of this are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. 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 state line. Addressing Frequent Arguments There is the predictable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to transport 500 people overseas without the aircraft. The horrific violence seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had been denied access to the weapons 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 extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in some cases they are essential tools. What we can do – what we must do – is to guarantee that firearm legislation are modernized to accurately reflect the world 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 no longer as safe as it previously was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been. As one commentator observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.