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

Following the tragedy of the awful incident at Bondi, Australia is facing several pressing reckonings. We are seeing a long-overdue national focus on antisemitism, an persistent concern about national security, and questions about the way such an tragedy could happen. But, from the perspective of a health professional and Jewish Australian, the most important discussion we are now having centers on firearms.

Ten Years of Cautions and a Successful Response

Health experts have been issuing warnings about guns for at least a decade. Following the events of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a series of measures to curb gun violence nationwide. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation witnessed approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none approaching the fatalities of the incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Attack and the Role of Existing Laws

Amidst the Bondi events, the nation's gun laws were not entirely useless. Reports indicate the individuals involved might have been armed with manually-operated long guns and a straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a one round at a time, necessitating a physical action to ready the next round. While these guns can be fired rapidly with lethal results, they remain significantly less rapid and more cumbersome than the high-capacity, semi-automatic rifles commonplace in international mass shootings. The number of deaths at Bondi would've been far higher if different weapons had been accessible.

Preventing another Bondi requires unity across all states. And unfortunately, we have already seen fissures in the united front.

A System Under Strain

Yet, the terrible consequences of the incident reveals that existing gun laws are inadequate. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have worn away their efficacy. Concerningly, there are now more firearms in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas reportedly holding arsenals numbering in the hundreds.

The nation has grown complacent and it has exacted a terrible price.

The Road Forward: Announced Changes

Since the Bondi tragedy, there have been numerous declarations regarding strengthened firearm legislation. The state of NSW specifically will shortly introduce a package of measures to reduce the collective risk posed by firearms. The federal government has announced a new gun buyback, and there is potential for a national firearms registry, notwithstanding the complexities of coordinating state and federal governments.

These measures are feasible if the nation acts in unison. As noted, regarding firearm laws, the country is only as strong as its least stringent jurisdiction. This is the reality of the Australian federation – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be bypassed with a journey across a border.

Countering Common Arguments

We hear the inevitable argument that "firearms are not the killers, 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 quite challenging for a captain to transport 500 people overseas without the plane. The horrific violence seen 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 possessed.

Balancing Need and Safety

It is acknowledged there are valid reasons for some Australians to own firearms. Managing livestock or controlling vermin in many places is incredibly hard without them. A total ban of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – what we must do – is to guarantee that gun laws are updated to better match the world we live in today. Australia's legislation have historically been the admiration of the world, but the passage of years has done its work and the nation is less secure as it previously was. It is critical to learn from the tragedy of Bondi seriously, and make certain that coming Australians are equally safe as previous generations have been.

A commentator observed after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". This is true, but only because the country has collectively worked to maintain its security. As nightmarish as the attack was, there is hope that it can serve as the final tragedy the nation ever sees.