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Following the tragedy of the horrific attack at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing concern about public safety, and questions about how such an tragedy could happen. However, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Proven Response

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a series of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. The strategy succeeded. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Current Regulations

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. It has been suggested the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the large-magazine, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi demands unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the united front.

A System Showing Weakness

However, the terrible consequences of the attack reveals that current firearm regulations are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in cities reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Forward: Proposed Reforms

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales in particular will shortly introduce a suite of reforms to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The national government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal governments.

These measures are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, 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 much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Countering Common Arguments

We hear the predictable argument that "firearms are not the killers, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Certainly, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed 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 firearms they used.

Weighing Necessity and Security

There are valid reasons for some Australians to possess guns. Managing livestock or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is not feasible, as in some cases they are indispensable.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's laws have historically been the envy of the world, but the passage of years 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 as protected as past generations have been.

As one friend 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 maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation experiences.