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.
The State Fair of Texas released a statement Friday saying they will continue to prioritize providinga safe, secure environment to fairgoers, as well as staff, volunteers and vendors.
"As a private, not-for-profit organization leasing Fair Park for our annual State Fair, we believe we have the right to make this decision and maintain that it is the correct decision to protect the safety of our patrons. Due to pending litigation, we will make no further comments at this time," the statement reads.
WFAA reached out to the City of Dallas and received the following statement:
“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.”
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.