After discussing the August 27 school shooting and related public concern, the Edina City Council on Nov. 18 reviewed a draft gun-violence prevention ordinance crafted by the city attorney and modeled on language recently adopted in Saint Paul. City Attorney David Kendall told the council he had modified the effective-date language to reduce legal vagueness: the ordinance "will be effective only if the city issues a resolution certifying that preemption has been lifted," he said.

Kendall warned that several elements would be preempted by state law while noting some measures could be written to mirror state statutes and therefore be adopted locally. "Negligent storage is a crime" under Minnesota statute, he said, and "you could adopt the same negligent storage provisions" at the city level. Manager Neal and attorney Kendall cautioned that sections of the Saint Paul ordinance likely are subject to immediate legal challenge, and staff have asked the League of Minnesota Cities insurance trust whether it would defend a city facing litigation; staff reported the League offered only limited preliminary guidance.

Council members debated two tracks: (1) approve a contingent ordinance that becomes enforceable only if state preemption is lifted, as a signal and as legal groundwork, and (2) separately draft and adopt immediately enforceable measures (for example, local negligent-storage rules aligned with state statute, restrictions on discharge in places not already covered, or targeted permitting/penalty measures) that do not create legal exposure for police or the city.

Several council members asked for public engagement. Member Pierce urged the council to prepare defensible local ordinances and to create a public hearing where citizens for and against changes could speak on the record; Member Jackson said she wanted a public hearing before making a decision. Manager Neal said staff would schedule a council meeting with a public hearing and return with options the council could legally adopt, including safe-storage language mirroring state code and other measures staff deem defensible.

No ordinance was adopted Nov. 18. The council directed staff and the city attorney to prepare a menu of legally supportable options, plan public outreach and return with recommended next steps.

What to watch: staff will bring a recommended package of measures (safe-storage mirroring state statute, potential discharge restrictions and other defensible local steps) and a timeline for a public hearing and potential ordinance adoption.