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

Published on August 15, 2024

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to sue the City of Dallas if the nonprofit organization, the State Fair of Texas, 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 § 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 the State Fair of Texas leases the 277-acre grounds from the city over a 24-day period every fall....