Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated legal action against the City of Dallas and the State Fair of Texas, alleging that they unlawfully prohibited firearms on government-owned public property, which he claims violates Texas law.
Earlier this month, the Office of the Attorney General issued a fifteen-day notice to the City of Dallas to reverse the Texas State Fair’s recent ban on firearms in Fair Park. The park is owned by the City of Dallas and managed by the State Fair of Texas under a contractual agreement. According to state law, gun owners are permitted to carry firearms in places owned or leased by government entities unless explicitly prohibited by statute. The prohibition was therefore seen as an infringement on Texans’ legal rights. Both Dallas and the State Fair have refused to comply with state law.
Attorney General Paxton has requested injunctive relief from the court to prevent enforcement of what he deems an unlawful ban on firearms.
“Municipalities cannot nullify state law nor can they avoid accountability by contracting official functions to nominally third parties,” said Attorney General Paxton. “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.”
For further details, please refer to the filing.