Australia's Gun Legislation: An International Example That Needs to Endure, Particularly After Bondi

Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing conversations. There is a much-needed national focus on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent worry about national security, and inquiries about the way such an tragedy could occur. But, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount discussion we are finally having centers on firearms.

A Decade of Cautions and a Proven Solution

Health specialists have been sounding alarms about guns for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and implemented a series of reforms to reduce gun violence across the country. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation experienced roughly one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. It has been suggested the individuals involved possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These firearms are limited to firing a single bullet at a time, requiring a manual operation to chamber the subsequent shot. While these guns can be fired quite quickly with devastating effect, they remain far slower and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international attacks. The casualty count at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been available.

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

Legislation Under Strain

However, the horrific toll of the incident reveals that current firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their efficacy. Concerningly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities reportedly holding collections of hundreds of weapons.

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

The Road Forward: Proposed Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. New South Wales in particular will shortly enact a suite of measures to mitigate the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has proposed a new gun buyback, and there is hope for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are feasible if 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 federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a journey across a border.

Countering Common Arguments

We hear the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true in the same sense that aircraft do not fly passengers, aviators do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be virtually impossible for a captain to move 500 people internationally without the aircraft. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the alleged terrorists had not had access to the weapons 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 rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A complete removal of guns 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 legislation have long been the envy of the world, but time and distance has taken a toll and the nation is no longer as safe as it previously was. It is vital to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are as protected as past generations have been.

As one friend 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 collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the last one the nation ever sees.