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

In the aftermath of the awful attack at Bondi, Australia is confronting several critical reckonings. We are seeing a much-needed national focus on antisemitism, an ongoing concern about public safety, and inquiries about how such an event 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 Warnings and a Successful Solution

Public health specialists have been issuing warnings about firearms for a minimum of a ten-year period. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and implemented a suite of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one mass shooting per year. In the decades since, there have been vanishingly few significant tragedies, with none reaching the death toll of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Function of Current Laws

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These firearms can only fire a one round at a time, requiring a manual operation to ready the next round. While these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, self-loading rifles commonplace in overseas mass shootings. The casualty count at Bondi could have been much greater if more advanced weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, we have already seen cracks in the facade.

Legislation Showing Weakness

Yet, the horrific consequences of the attack reveals that current firearm regulations are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the best of intentions, years have worn away their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are currently a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur massacre, with some individuals in urban areas owning arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

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

The Path Ahead: Announced Changes

Since the Bondi attack, there have been multiple announcements regarding strengthened gun laws. New South Wales specifically will soon enact a package of reforms to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has proposed a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, notwithstanding the complexities of coordinating state and federal jurisdictions.

These measures are only possible provided that the nation acts in unison. As stated, regarding gun control, the country is dependent on its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian system – laws in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a border.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is the inevitable argument that "guns don't kill people, individuals are". This is true in the same sense that planes don't transport people, pilots do. Yes, aircraft require operators, but it would be quite challenging for a captain to move 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence witnessed at Bondi would be all but impossible without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the accused individuals had not had access to the firearms they used.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are legitimate reasons for some Australians to own guns. Farm work or culling pests in rural areas is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are indispensable.

What we can do – the imperative action – is to guarantee that firearm legislation 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 done its work and the nation is no longer as safe as it once was. It is critical to take the lessons of Bondi seriously, and ensure that future generations are equally safe as past generations have been.

A friend remarked after the Bondi attack, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has made concerted efforts to maintain its security. However horrific as the attack was, there is an aspiration that it can serve as the last one the nation experiences.