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

Ten Years of Warnings and a Successful Response

Health specialists have been issuing warnings about guns for a minimum of a decade. In the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy, Australians united and enacted a series of reforms to curb gun violence across the country. And it worked. Before 1996, the nation experienced approximately one large-scale firearm incident per year. In the decades since, there have been extremely rare major events, with none approaching the death toll of the shootings in the 1980s and 1990s.

This Recent Tragedy and the Function of Current Regulations

Even during the Bondi events, the nation's firearm regulations were partially effective. Reports indicate the alleged attackers possessed with manually-operated long guns and at least one straight-pull shotgun. These weapons can only fire a single bullet at a time, necessitating a physical action to chamber the next round. Although these guns are capable of being discharged quite quickly with lethal results, 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 weapons had been available.

Stopping another Bondi requires national cohesion. And unfortunately, there are already fissures in the united front.

Legislation Under Strain

Yet, the terrible toll of the incident demonstrates that existing firearm regulations are failing. Crafted in the late 1990s with the noblest aims, decades have eroded their effectiveness. Alarmingly, there are now a greater number of guns in Australia than before the Port Arthur shooting, with some citizens in urban areas owning collections of hundreds of weapons.

We have been complacent and it has cost us terribly.

The Path Ahead: Announced Reforms

In the time after the Bondi attack, there have been multiple declarations regarding new firearm legislation. The state of NSW in particular will soon introduce a package of reforms to mitigate the collective risk from firearms. The federal government has announced a fresh firearm surrender scheme, and there is potential for a countrywide gun database, despite the complexities of aligning state and federal jurisdictions.

All of this are feasible provided that the nation works together. As noted, when it comes to gun control, the country is dependent on its weakest link. This is the reality of the Australian system – regulations in one state are easily circumvented if they can be avoided with a short drive across a state line.

Addressing Common Arguments

There is the predictable 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 pilot to move 500 people internationally without the plane. The mass slaughter seen at Bondi would be extremely difficult without guns, and would have been far less damaging if the alleged terrorists had been denied access to the weapons they used.

Weighing Need and Security

It is acknowledged there are valid needs for some Australians to own firearms. Farm work or culling pests in many places is incredibly hard without them. A complete removal of guns from the country is impractical, as in certain contexts they are essential tools.

The achievable goal – the imperative action – is to guarantee that gun laws are updated to accurately reflect the society we live in today. Australia's legislation have long been the envy 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 take the lessons of Bondi to heart, and make certain that coming Australians are as protected as previous generations have been.

A commentator remarked after the Bondi events, "such tragedies just don't happen here". They don't, but only because the country has collectively worked to keep itself safe. However horrific as the attack was, there is hope that it can become the final tragedy the nation ever sees.