Buffalo Common Council members on July 8 referred a resolution requesting guidance about firearm restrictions on private business property to the Police Oversight Committee and spent the meeting pressing the Buffalo Police Department for better, faster public notifications after an armed incident at a Tops grocery store on June 17.

The resolution, sponsored on the floor as Item 60, asks the city to convene state and law‑enforcement officials to clarify what private businesses may lawfully do on their property and how the public will be informed when incidents occur. Councilmember Heather moved the referral; Councilmember Rivera seconded it. The council then approved a separate referral of Item 76, a letter to the police commissioner about the June 17 incident, to Police Oversight with a plan to re‑reference it to Community Development.

Councilmembers said they and residents learned about the June 17 event belatedly, in some cases a week and a day after it happened and by way of news reports. “This resolution came about because we all are aware of the events that took place, at the Tops grocery store on June 17,” Councilmember Heather said, urging a briefing so businesses and residents understand their rights.

Majority Leader and other members called for police to provide information in “real time,” not days or weeks later. One councilmember said she was first informed by a reporter and that her son worked at the store on the days in question, describing the delay as unacceptable. Another member urged the Police Department to err on the side of disclosure so residents and councilmembers can take precautions.

Several councilmembers said they want the Police Oversight Committee to demand clearer communication protocols and to ask state and local law enforcement to explain which incidents warrant public notices. Some speakers also raised the possibility of pursuing an independent civilian review structure, citing state guidance that police should not only investigate themselves.

The council scheduled Police Oversight Committee meetings for July 16, 2025; members said they expect the department and state representatives to appear there. Councilmembers also requested that the Police Department brief the Common Council on the legal framework governing “sensitive locations,” noting that a post‑May 14, 2022 state law labeling certain locations as sensitive had been subject to court challenge and that business owners retain the right to set property rules about weapons.

The discussion focused on process and disclosure; no substantive change to city law was adopted at the meeting. The Police Oversight Committee will hold the item and summon department officials for follow‑up, and councilmembers said they will press for answers at the next oversight session.