Judge rejects Texas attorney general’s attempt to stop gun ban at State Fair

DALLAS (AP) — A judge last week denied an effort by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to stop the recently announced ban on guns at the State Fair of Texas.

Dallas County District Judge Emily Tobolowsky denied the state’s request for a temporary injunction to stop the ban from taking effect when the fair opens next week.

Fair officials’ announcement of the ban last month, which follows a shooting last year at the fair, was met with swift criticism from Republican state lawmakers who have proudly expanded gun rights in recent years. Texas allows people to carry a gun without a license, background check or training.

Paxton, a Republican, threatened to sue if the ban wasn’t repealed, and when fair officials backed up, he filed suit against the State Fair of Texas and the city of Dallas. The city owns Fair Park, the 277-acre (112-hectare) grounds where the event takes place.

Paxton called the ban an illegal restriction on the rights of gun owners, saying Texas allows gun owners to carry firearms in places owned or leased by government entities unless otherwise prohibited by law.

But city officials and fair officials said the State Fair of Texas is a private nonprofit that leases the property from the city for its event. The city said the State Fair of Texas has the right to decide whether or not they chose to allow fairgoers to carry firearms. Fair officials said the fair is not a government entity, nor is it controlled by one.

Last year, three people were injured in shootings at the fair after one man opened fire on another. Videos posted on social media showed groups of people running along sidewalks and climbing barriers as they fled.

The nearly month-long fair dates back to 1886. In addition to a giant wheel, a midway game maze and animal shows, the fair is home to the annual college football rivalry between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma. Big Tex, the five-story cowboy who greets fairs, has become a beloved figure. When the towering cowboy caught fire in 2012 due to an electrical short, the return of the fair’s mascot was greeted with great fanfare.

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