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The nonprofit group that runs the State Fair of Texas says it has no plans to drop a new policy banning most people from bringing in guns after Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit to block its enforcement.
Karissa Condoianis, a spokesperson for the nonprofit State Fair of Texas, which has the same name as the annual event, said Friday the group believes a stricter firearms policy is still the right call for everyone attending the Fair Park-based event. The fair begins in four weeks.
“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.
Paxton announced Thursday he filed a lawsuit against the nonprofit group, the city of Dallas and interim city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. The lawsuit asserts the policy change violates the rights of lawful gun owners and state law. The attorney general argued the State Fair doesn’t have the authority to ban weapons from the city-owned Fair Park.
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The state fair announced on Aug. 8 that it would increase security and only allow elected, appointed or employed peace officers to carry firearms into Fair Park.
The fair previously allowed attendees with a valid handgun license to bring a gun as long as it was concealed. State law doesn’t require Texans to have a permit to carry a firearm in a public place.
The policy change came after a man shot three people at the state fair last year. The lawsuit was filed two weeks after Paxton sent a letter to Tolbert threatening legal action unless the city forced the fair to drop its new gun policy.
In a statement, city officials noted Thursday they had no involvement in the fair’s policies and operations.
Fair organizers have pointed out that other large annual events around the state — such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo Austin — have similar firearm restrictions.
The State Fair of Texas runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 20.