On Aug. 14, a few days after the fair announced it would not allow licensed gun owners to bring a firearm into the fair, Paxton was one of many Republican officials from Texas to go public with disappointment over the decision. Because the State Fair of Texas is a private entity and leases Fair Park from the city, the AG's threat was aimed at Dallas, not the fair.
"Earlier in August, the Office of the Attorney General gave the city of Dallas 15 days' notice to reverse the Texas State Fair’s recently announced prohibition of firearms in Fair Park before a lawsuit would be filed," the Aug. 29 press release states. "Fair Park is owned by the City of Dallas which contracts with the State Fair of Texas for the management of the annual fair. Since state law permits gun owners to carry in places owned or leased by government entities unless otherwise statutorily prohibited, the prohibition represented an unlawful infringement on Texans’ legal rights. Dallas and the State Fair have refused to comply with state law."
The spokesperson for the State Fair of Texas could not be reached for comment Thursday evening. In an email to the Observer, a spokesperson for the city of Dallas wrote: “The City of Dallas is aware of the lawsuit filed by the State of Texas and disagrees with the allegations against the City and interim city manager. The City was not involved in the State Fair of Texas’ announcement of its enhanced weapons policy. The State Fair of Texas is a private event operated and controlled by a private, non-profit entity and not the City.”
The new gun policy at the State Fair was instituted — along with a few other changes, including newly designed entryways and increased police coverage inside the fairgrounds — after three people were injured in a shooting at last year's fair. When reached for comment after Paxton's threat of legal action on Aug. 14, Karissa Condoianis, the Senior Vice President of Public Relations for the State Fair of Texas, disagreed with Paxton's assertion that creating a "gun-free zone" will make the fair less safe.
Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues the City of Dallas for Unlawfully Prohibiting Firearms From the Texas State Fair: https://t.co/BRKHbdFq1D
— Texas Attorney General (@TXAG) August 29, 2024
"The State Fair has adopted a similar policy to that of most mass community gathering events like athletic competitions, concerts, and other Fairs throughout the state and across the nation. The State Fair of Texas spends millions of dollars per year on safety and security measures," Condoianis said in an Aug. 14 statement to the Observer. "Furthermore, the Dallas Police Department has a substation at Fair Park. A combined total of more than 200 uniformed and armed DPD officers and State Fair Safety Team members are patrolling the fairgrounds whenever the gates are open. We take the safety of the State Fair very seriously and will continue to do so."
The AG has asked a court for injunctive relief to keep the fair from enforcing the new gun policy.
“Municipalities cannot nullify state law nor can they avoid accountability by contracting official functions to nominally third parties,” Paxton said in the press release. “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.”
