🔗 Share this article Australia's Gun Laws: A Global Model That Needs to Persist, Especially After Bondi Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing multiple pressing conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about the way such an event could occur. But, as viewed of a public health expert and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are now having centers on firearms. A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Response Public health experts have been sounding alarms about guns for at least a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians united and enacted a suite of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare significant tragedies, with none approaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s. This Recent Tragedy and the Role of Existing Regulations Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the alleged attackers possessed with bolt-action rifles and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, necessitating a manual operation to chamber the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged rapidly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles frequently used in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different firearms had been available. Stopping a future Bondi demands national cohesion. Regrettably, there are already cracks in the facade. Legislation Showing Weakness Yet, the horrific consequences of the attack demonstrates that current gun laws are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds. The nation has grown overconfident and it has exacted a terrible price. The Path Forward: Proposed Reforms In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding new gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will shortly introduce a suite of measures to mitigate the public danger posed by firearms. The national government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, despite the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions. All of this are only possible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are much less meaningful if they can be bypassed with a short drive across a state line. Countering Common Objections There is the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is accurate in the same sense that planes don't transport people, aviators do. Certainly, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to move 500 people internationally 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 not had access to the firearms they used. Balancing Need and Safety It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs for some Australians to possess firearms. Managing livestock or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools. The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to ensure that firearm legislation are modernized to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation 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 vital to learn from the tragedy of Bondi to heart, and make certain that future generations are equally safe as past 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. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.