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The State Fair of Texas 2024 is preparing to open on Sept. 27 and will run through Oct. 20. This is one of the largest annual events in the state. And the nonprofit group that runs the Fair is doubling- down on its new gun ban policy.

The State Fair of Texas is standing firm on its policy banning most people from bringing firearms onto its grounds, despite a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block the enforcement of the gun ban.

On Thursday, Paxton announced that he had filed a lawsuit against the State Fair of Texas, the City of Dallas, and interim city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. The lawsuit challenges the Fair's new firearm policy, asserting that it infringes on the rights of lawful gun owners and violates state law.

“Neither the City of Dallas nor the State Fair of Texas can infringe on Texans’ right to self-defense," Paxton said in a statement, emphasizing the importance of upholding the rights granted to Texans under state law. According to the lawsuit, the State Fair, as a tenant of the city-owned Fair Park, lacks the authority to implement a gun ban.

State Fair of Texas Responds

In response to the lawsuit, Karissa Condoianis, spokeswoman for the nonprofit State Fair of Texas, reiterated that the organization believes a stricter firearms policy is essential for ensuring the safety of attendees.

. “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,” Condoianis said in a statement on Friday.

The upcoming State Fair will enforce this new policy, which only allows elected, appointed, or employed officers to carry firearms into Fair Park. 

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The Gun Ban Policy 

The decision to tighten gun restrictions at the State Fair follows an incident last year where a man shot three people at the event.

 The new policy was announced on August 8, sparking immediate controversy. Paxton’s lawsuit was filed two weeks after he issued a letter to Dallas interim city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, threatening legal action unless the city intervened to overturn the fair’s decision.

Despite the attorney general's claims, Dallas city officials have distanced themselves from the State Fair’s decision, in a statement on Thursday emphasizing that the city had no involvement in shaping the fair’s policies.

 “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 statement read. The city of Dallas also expressed its disagreement with the allegations brought against it in the lawsuit.

Historical Overview 

Organizers of the State Fair of Texas have pointed out that similar firearm restrictions are in place at other large annual events across the state, such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the San Antonio Livestock Show, and Rodeo Austin.

These events, much like the State Fair of Texas, prioritize the safety of their patrons by enforcing strict gun policies.

It is also notable that firearm bans are common in certain public and government-owned spaces. For instance, only police officers are permitted to carry guns in courthouses and other federal and state-owned buildings, where screening devices are often used to enforce these bans.

The State Fair of Texas has a long and storied history, tracing its roots back to the Dallas State Fair & Exposition, which was chartered as a private corporation on January 30, 1886. 

The nonprofit entity has been operating the fair for 128 years. 

The first State Fair was held in 1887, and the current 277-acre fairgrounds in the heart of Dallas were developed in 1935. The 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, held at Fair Park, attracted more than six million visitors over a six-month period, solidifying the event’s place in Texas history.