AP

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels

SEATTLE - Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels says he's hoping for "further clarity" on his authority to ban guns on city property.

Attorney General Rob McKenna issued a nonbinding opinion Monday that says cities lack the authority to ban guns because local laws would conflict with state regulations.

In a statement, Nickels said the city has a "moral responsibility" to pursue what he calls common sense gun laws.

"We cannot wait for another incident, or another victim," he said. "The simple fact is our public buildings, events, parks and community centers are safer without guns.”

Nickels said last spring he would order a ban after a shooting at the Seattle Center's Folklife Festival that wounded two people.

The Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms threatened to sue the city if Nickels issued a gun ban.