Australia's Firearm Laws: An International Example That Must Endure, Especially After Bondi

In the aftermath of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several critical reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on antisemitism, an persistent concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an tragedy could occur. However, as viewed of a health professional and Australian Jew, the paramount discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Proven Solution

Public health experts 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 enacted a series of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Prior to 1996, the nation witnessed roughly one large-scale firearm incident per year. Over the following years, there have been extremely rare major events, with none reaching the fatalities of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Tragedy and the Function of Current Laws

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 firearms can only fire a single bullet at a time, requiring a physical action to ready the subsequent shot. Although these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the large-magazine, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in overseas attacks. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the united front.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the horrific consequences of the incident reveals that existing firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in urban areas owning collections numbering in the hundreds.

We have been overconfident and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Changes

In the time after the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous announcements regarding new gun laws. New South Wales in particular will soon enact a package of reforms to mitigate the public danger from firearms. The federal government has announced a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are only possible provided that the nation works together. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a journey across a state line.

Addressing Frequent Arguments

We hear the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is true in the identical way that planes don't transport people, aviators 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 all but impossible without firearms, and would have been significantly less lethal if the accused individuals had been denied access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Necessity and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to possess firearms. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is extremely difficult without them. A total ban of firearms from the country is impractical, 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 accurately reflect the world 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 critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

As one commentator observed after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the incident was, there is an aspiration that it can become the final tragedy the nation experiences.