St. Paul city leaders are expected to introduce an ordinance in a city council meeting Wednesday that would ban assault weapons in the city.

It’s also an ordinance that — even if passed — would not go into effect unless the state repeals a law that prevents local governments from regulating firearms.

The largely symbolic move comes after the August shooting at Annunciation Church and School that killed two children and injured 28 others in Minneapolis. Efforts toward a special legislative session focused on the shooting have stymied, leading St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and other municipal leaders to push for a pathway to pass their own laws.

“This is so far from the best route to go. The best route would be for Congress to realize that we have a gun violence crisis in America and to take action,” Mayor Carter told MPR News host Nina Moini on Wednesday. “But if they’re not going to, we have to be willing to do something.”

Minnesota is among 42 states that have preemption laws preventing municipal gun restrictions, according to Everytown. The gun safety nonprofit says the laws became commonplace in the 1980s, after backlash to an Illinois city’s decision to ban handguns.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and the leaders of several Minnesota cities are calling on the state to drop its preemption law. Those leaders include the mayors of Minneapolis, Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Richfield, Rochester, Stillwater and Shoreview.

St. Paul is the first of those city to draft an ordinance. In addition to banning civilians from owning assault weapons, it would ban large-capacity magazines and binary triggers that double the rate of gunfire. It would require that guns in the city have serial numbers, in an attempt to crack down on ghost guns that are assembled at home.

“I believe the ordinance is a positive step, and I commend the city council for taking action,” said Rep. Kaohly Her, who is challenging Carter in the race for St. Paul mayor. “I support the spirit in which this was crafted, but I think it’s important not to give residents a false sense of security that there is enforceable action in what is being proposed.”

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said they make take legal action if the city moves forward with passing the ordinance.

“The St. Paul City Council is trying to make a political statement with an illegal ordinance, and they know it,” Bryan Strawser, chair of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, said in a statement.

Another challenger to Carter, Yan Chen, said the city should use its existing tools to address gun violence.

“Because state law limits local gun control, St. Paul must advocate for red flag laws and use every tool we have to prevent violence before it happens,” Chen said. “I’ll start by tackling petty crime, often a warning sign of deeper problems. Our city can, and must, do better with the resources we already have.”

Use the audio player above to listen to a conversation with St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.