A bill allowing firearms at the State Fair of Texas has cleared the Texas Senate and is advancing through the House, potentially overturning the weapons ban instituted at last year’s Fair.
The legislation, known as Texas Senate Bill 1065, would prevent fair organizers from prohibiting licensed gun owners from carrying weapons at the annual event, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each fall.
The Texas Senate passed the bill in April, pushing it one step closer to becoming law. A House committee has since approved the measure without holding a public hearing.
The bill now awaits consideration by the full House of Representatives. If approved, it would allow concealed carry permit holders to bring their firearms to the fairgrounds despite current prohibitions.
Supporters frame the bill as a response to safety concerns.
Gary Zimmerman, a License to Carry instructor, explained, per Fox 4 KDFW: “The Texas State Fair is located in a high-crime area of Dallas, and the concern isn’t the Fair itself—there are over 500 police officers present—it’s about how you get there. Where will you store your firearm? In your vehicle. And what’s the primary source from which criminals acquire guns? They steal them from cars, not by purchasing them.”
State Rep. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), who supports the measure, argued that the current ban undermines state law and Second Amendment rights.
The bill’s House consideration marks the final hurdle before potentially reaching the governor’s desk. Fair officials have maintained their weapons ban as a safety measure, but lawmakers contend they lack the authority to prohibit legally carried firearms.
The State Fair of Texas, which typically runs for about three weeks in the fall, draws massive crowds to Dallas’ Fair Park annually. State Fair organizers enacted a ban on firearms at the fair last year in response to a shooting that happened on the fairgrounds during the 2023 State Fair, as reported by The Dallas Express.
If enacted, the law would join several other Texas measures, expanding the state’s location for licensed gun owners to carry weapons. The legislature has consistently moved to broaden gun rights in recent sessions.