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In the early hours of Easter Sunday, a party at an Airbnb rental in Pittsburgh’s North Side turned from a noisy nuisance into a bloody gunfight with hundreds of people running for their lives. Two 17-year-olds died. Nine others suffered gunshots. Five more were injured as they fled.

By Tuesday, Pittsburgh City Council was introducing legislation to better regulate the kind of short-term rentals where the party occurred. However, when the issue came up at Wednesday’s meeting, council decided to take its foot off the gas to take a closer look at the proposal and get input from the public.

This is not surprising. It’s a fast-forward version of exactly what is typical after a tragedy: Outrage, a call to action, proposals and sadly but almost inevitably, delay.

This is often about politics. This time, it may be about wisdom.

The deadly shooting is an extreme example of the problems that can arise from turning a residential neighborhood into potential blocks of unregulated miniature hotels. It isn’t the only one.

If the city is going to take steps to regulate short-term rentals, it should examine all of those issues and deal with them thoughtfully. Council should do more than just react. It should provide real leadership on an issue that can have impacts on things such as public safety, property values, privacy and personal income.

It can also provide a deliberative example for other municipalities to note.

Pittsburgh is not the only area affected by these problems. It is not the only one looking for solutions. From Paris and London to New York and San Francisco, governments are struggling with how to regulate an industry that seems to thrive on not being regulated.

Whether it is an overgrown party turned violent or a residential neighborhood being used for activities outside its zoning, this is worth studying before reacting. What the city does today could be a template for other areas to follow — or forgo — in the future.

At the same time, they may wish to take a close look at what has and hasn’t worked elsewhere. In Pennsylvania, tourist areas such as the Poconos, Gettysburg, State College and Philadelphia already have taken steps. Some areas regulate any rental under 30 days as short-term. Some require a special business license or occupancy certificate. Some have minimum square footage. Philadelphia requires an 8.5% tax on top of rent and fees.

But it all depends on the legislation being something that is followed through to its conclusion. Take the time to do it right, but don’t let it falter after the funerals are a memory.

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