Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the City of Dallas and the State Fair of Texas, challenging a recently imposed ban on firearms at the state fair, which he claims violates Texas law.
The ban was imposed following a shooting at the 2023 State Fair of Texas that injured three persons and led to the evacuation of the fairgrounds, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this week, focuses on the ban on firearms at Fair Park, a government-owned venue where the State Fair of Texas is held annually. According to state law, gun owners are permitted to carry firearms on government-owned or leased properties unless specific exceptions are outlined by law.
Paxton argued that the recent ban on firearms at Fair Park, which is owned by the City of Dallas, breaches this legal provision.
“Municipalities cannot nullify state law nor can they avoid accountability by contracting official functions to nominally third parties,” said Paxton in a recent press release.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Paxton’s office issued the City of Dallas a 15-day notice in mid-August, demanding the reversal of the ban. Paxton threatened legal action if the City did not comply with state regulations and reverse it.
However, as of the lawsuit’s filing, neither the City of Dallas nor the State Fair of Texas has lifted the ban.
The legal action seeks an injunction to prevent the enforcement of the gun ban, arguing that it infringes on the rights guaranteed under Texas law. Paxton’s office claims that the City’s and the fair’s refusal to comply with state regulations disregards lawful gun ownership and sets a troubling precedent for future public events held on government property.
In a previous letter addressed to the City, Paxton’s office acknowledged that certain buildings at Fair Park, including the Cotton Bowl, are subject to state laws banning weapons because they host high school and college football games. However, Paxton’s office claimed that the vast majority of Fair Park does not fall under such weapon restrictions.
“Neither the City of Dallas nor the State Fair of Texas can infringe on Texans’ right to self-defense. I warned fifteen days ago that if they did not end their unlawful conduct I would see them in court, and now I will,” Paxton added in the press release.