Australia's Gun Legislation: A Global Model That Needs to Endure, Particularly After Bondi

Following the tragedy of the horrific incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting several pressing conversations. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an ongoing worry about national security, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could happen. But, from the perspective of a public health expert and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Successful Response

Health experts have been sounding alarms about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and implemented a series of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Role of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with bolt-action rifles and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the next round. Although these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and less efficient than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if more advanced weapons had been available.

Stopping another Bondi requires unity across all states. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

However, the horrific consequences of the incident reveals that current gun laws are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are now more firearms in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Path Forward: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened firearm legislation. New South Wales specifically will shortly introduce a package of measures to reduce the public danger posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, when it comes to gun control, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the very nature of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is the inevitable response that "firearms are not the killers, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a pilot to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence 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 firearms they possessed.

Balancing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or culling pests in many places is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is not feasible, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

What we can do – 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 historically been the admiration of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is less secure as it once was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

A commentator observed 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 maintain its security. As nightmarish as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.