Australia's Gun Legislation: An International Example That Must Persist, Especially After Bondi

Following the tragedy of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting multiple pressing conversations. We are seeing a much-needed national spotlight on anti-Jewish sentiment, an persistent worry about national security, and questions about the way such an event could happen. But, as viewed of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the paramount dialogue we are finally having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Solution

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur massacre, Australians came together and implemented a suite of measures to reduce gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation experienced approximately one mass shooting per year. Over the following years, there have been vanishingly few major events, with none approaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Bondi Attack and the Role of Existing Regulations

Even during the Bondi tragedy, the nation's firearm regulations were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons are limited to firing a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready the subsequent shot. While these guns can be fired rapidly with devastating effect, they remain significantly less rapid and less efficient than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles frequently used in international attacks. The number of deaths at Bondi could have been much greater if different firearms had been available.

Preventing a future Bondi demands unity across all states. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the terrible consequences of the incident reveals that current firearm regulations are failing. Designed in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, years have eroded their effectiveness. Concerningly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than prior to the Port Arthur shooting, with some individuals in cities owning arsenals of hundreds of weapons.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been multiple declarations regarding new gun laws. The state of NSW in particular will soon introduce a suite of measures to reduce the collective risk from firearms. The national government has proposed a new firearm surrender scheme, and there is hope for a national firearms registry, despite the inherent challenges of aligning state and federal governments.

All of this are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding gun control, the country is only as strong as its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are much less meaningful if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Common Objections

We hear the predictable response that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is true in the identical way that aircraft do not fly passengers, pilots do. Yes, planes can't fly themselves, but it would be quite challenging for a pilot to transport 500 people internationally without the plane. The horrific violence seen 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 possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate needs for some Australians to own guns. Managing livestock 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 – what we must do – is to guarantee that gun laws are modernized to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's laws have long been the admiration 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 to heart, and ensure that coming Australians are equally safe as past generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi events, "things like this just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to keep itself safe. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.