DALLAS — The city of Dallas is sticking to its guns ━ or lack thereof ━ when it comes to a firearm ban at the State Fair of Texas.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he filed a lawsuit against the city on Thursday after giving Dallas a 15-day warning to reverse the decision.
The city of Dallas owns Fair Park and leases the grounds to the State Fair of Texas annually. Since the property is government-owned, Paxton argues the license-to-carry ban is “unlawful” and violates Texas gun owners’ rights.
The fair’s safety plan for 2024 includes the new ban on all guns following a shooting that happened in a food court area of the fair last year. Under the policy, no guns will be allowed on Fair Park property, unless it is carried by someone who is a current or retired peace officer.
“Municipalities cannot nullify state law nor can they avoid accountability by contracting official functions to nominally third parties,” said Paxton. “Neither the city of Dallas nor the State Fair of Texas can infringe on Texans’ right to self-defense.”
Some lawmakers called directly on the State Fair of Texas to rescind its policy, but two weeks ago, fair officials restated that they would be keeping it in place.
“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 said in a release.
WFAA reached out to the City of Dallas and received this response: “Due to pending litigation, we have no comment at this time.”
WFAA has also reached out to the State Fair of Texas for comment but has not heard back as of Thursday evening.
Here is the full lawsuit filing.