Texas State Fair Ban Spawns New Legislation

Final yr’s controversial ban on hid carry on the Texas State Truthful, which spawned numerous lawsuits together with some after the truthful had closed, has now compelled pro-gun lawmakers to introduce laws barring such a ban.

Republican State Rep. Brisco Cain not too long ago filed a measure to forestall the prohibition of firearms carried by licensed hid carriers on government-owned property.

In line with the textual content of HB 1715, any authorities entities, courts or contractors who use such properties “could not in any method prohibit a license holder who’s carrying a handgun beneath the authority of Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Authorities Code, from coming into or remaining on the property or a portion of the property, together with by means of the availability of discover by a communication described by Part 30.06 or 30.07, Penal Code, until license holders are in any other case prohibited from carrying handguns on the property or that portion of the property beneath Part 46.03, Penal Code, or different legislation.”

Naturally, the legislation would prohibit banning carry at State Truthful Park, which is owned by town of Dallas and serves because the venue for the annual State Truthful of Texas.

In August, State Truthful officers, together with legislation enforcement, introduced a revised coverage prohibiting all firearms, together with these carried by licensed holders, from the fairgrounds in the course of the Texas State Truthful. This determination represented a big change from earlier years when licensed hid carry was allowed at Truthful Park in the course of the occasion.

After studying in regards to the ban, Texas State Lawyer Common Ken Paxton promptly despatched a letter to the State Truthful Board to tell board members that the carry ban contravened state legislation. He additionally said that he would sue the Metropolis of Dallas if the proposed ban wasn’t rescinded.

“Texas legislation clearly states that license-to-carry holders is probably not prevented from carrying a firearm on property owned or leased by the federal government until in any other case prevented by state statute,” Paxton stated in a information launch on the time. “The State Truthful of Texas’s latest coverage that infringes on LTC holders’ Second Modification rights is illegal. Dallas has 15 days to repair the difficulty. In any other case, I’ll see them in court docket.”

On the identical time, 71 Texas Home Republicans and Republican Home nominees signed a petition urging the State Truthful to reverse its determination. The petition argued that “gun-free zones are magnets for crime as a result of they current much less of a menace to those that search to do evil,” and criticized the truthful’s new coverage as unrepresentative of Texas values.

When the Truthful Board refused to amend the coverage, AG Paxton sued the Metropolis of Dallas and the Truthful Board concerning the ban. After shedding arguments in each a Dallas district court docket and a state appeals court docket, Paxton escalated his problem of the coverage to the Texas Supreme Courtroom, which declined the petition, leaving the ban in place for the 2024 occasion.

Authorized motion concerning the ban continued past final yr’s truthful. In late October, Paxton and three fairgoers filed an up to date lawsuit towards the coverage, State of Texas v. Metropolis of Dallas. This, together with latest laws launched by Rep. Cain, clearly signifies that these on the pro-gun aspect of this controversy usually are not going away anytime quickly.