The 15th Court of Appeals on Thursday said the State Fair of Texas’ policy of prohibiting people from bringing firearms onto the fairgrounds was lawful and upheld an early ruling from a trial court.
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The state had argued that the policy violated a Texas law restricting local governments from limiting guns in most public places.
The court ruled that state law only applied to government entities, not private organizations like the State Fair. Dallas has long held that they just lease the fairgrounds to the State Fair and that they have no role in the fair’s policymaking. The city owns Fair Park, but leases it to the State Fair, which establishes and enforces its own set of rules.
State Fair of Texas institutes gun ban
The State Fair instituted the gun ban in 2024 after three people were injured in a shooting the previous year. The fair previously allowed attendees with valid handgun licenses to carry their weapon as long as it was concealed.
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Attorney General Ken Paxton sued to overturn the restrictions. The move was defeated multiple times in court before Thursday ruling. In 2024, the Texas Supreme Court denied his emergency filing to block the policy.
In June 2025, Judge Emily Tobolwsky sided with the city and the State Fair, issuing a summary judgment and dismissing the case.
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