CBS News: “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against the City of Dallas, the city manager and the State Fair of Texas over the fair’s new gun policy.
The policy “prohibits fairgoers from carrying all firearms, knives with blades over 5.5 inches long, clubs, explosive devices, ammunition, chemical dispensing devices, replicas or hoaxes, or weapons of any kind,” according to the fair’s website. The policy does not include elected, appointed, or employed peace officers.
According to the lawsuit, the city and the Fair are unlawfully banning firearms for most visitors from a government-owned public property, which violates state law.
A State Fair of Texas spokesperson released a statement Saturday affirming their commitment to prioritizing the fairgoers’ safety and asserting their right to enforce and uphold their decision to ban guns.
“The State Fair of Texas will continue to prioritize providing a safe and secure environment for our millions of fairgoers, as well as our staff, vendors, and volunteers,” said a spokesperson. “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.””