Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about national security, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could happen. But, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.
Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms for at least a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a series of reforms to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation experienced roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.
Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been accessible.
Stopping another Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already fissures in the united front.
Yet, the horrific consequences of the incident reveals that existing gun laws are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.
The nation has grown complacent and it has cost us terribly.
Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new gun laws. New South Wales in particular will shortly introduce a suite of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh gun buyback, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.
These measures are feasible provided that 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 easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.
We hear the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators 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 witnessed at Bondi would be extremely difficult without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they possessed.
It is acknowledged there are valid reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.
The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are updated 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 taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, 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 solely due to the fact that the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.
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