Texas AG Threatens to Sue City of Dallas Unless It Reverses State Fair Gun Ban

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 23, 2024. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to sue the city of Dallas if the State Fair of Texas, a nonprofit organization, does not reverse its decision to ban people from bringing guns onto its fairgrounds this September.

In a letter addressed to interim city manager Kim Bizor Tolbert on Aug. 13, Paxton warned that the gun ban violates state law, specifically Texas Government Code Section 411.209(a).

That law prevents state agencies in Texas from prohibiting licensed gun holders from accessing property owned or leased by the government.

The Texas attorney general said Fair Park, where the event will take place, is owned by the city and that the State Fair of Texas leases the 277-acre grounds from the city over a 24-day period every fall.

He then pointed to an Aug. 8 announcement by the State Fair of Texas revealing that it is making “several additions” to its “comprehensive safety and security plan” at this year’s fair.

This includes banning fairgoers—including holders of a License to Carry, Constitutional Carry, and Concealed Carry license—from carrying all firearms.

The updated policy does not apply to current peace officers or qualified retired peace officers, the nonprofit said.

“Our office views this statement by the State Fair of Texas as an implication that the City of Dallas (a political subdivision of the state) is prohibiting a license holder from entering or remaining on premises or other place owned or leased by the City of Dallas in violation of Tex. Gov’t Code [Section] 411.209(a),” Paxton wrote in his letter to Tolbert.

Paxton said his office has determined that legal action is warranted based on the alleged violation of state law and gave the city of Dallas 15 days from receipt of the letter to remedy its alleged violation.

If it fails to do so, Paxton said his office will sue for injunctive relief and seek civil penalties between $1,000 and $1,500 each day for each violation.

The Epoch Times has contacted the city of Dallas and the State Fair of Texas for comment.

In a statement on social media platform X, Paxton said citizens should be allowed to lawfully carry a firearm onto the fairgrounds.

“Texas law clearly states that license-to-carry holders may not be prevented from carrying a firearm on property owned or leased by the government unless otherwise prevented by state statute,” Paxton said.

Paxton’s letter was issued after more than 70 Republican state legislators signed a petition opposing the State Fair of Texas’s gun ban, arguing that gun-free zones are “magnets for crime.”

Billed as one of the “largest annual events in the world,” the State Fair of Texas brings an estimated economic impact of nearly $500 million dollars to North Texas every fall.

Last year’s fair attracted more than 2.3 million people, according to its official website. This year’s fair runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 20.

The updated security plan was issued after a man opened fire at the Tower Building at the fair in 2023, wounding three people, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Police identified the shooter as 22-year-old Cameron Turner and charged him with three counts of aggravated assault.