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State Fair of Texas bans firearms, draws threat of legal action from Republican AG

State Fair of Texas bans firearms, draws threat of legal action from Republican AG

DALLAS — The State Fair of Texas is establishing a new rule before millions of visitors flock through the gates for corn dogs, deep-fried delights and a friendly wave from a five-story cowboy named Big Tex: No guns allowed.

But that decision by fair organizers — that comes after a shooting last year on the 277-acre fairgrounds in the heart of Dallas — has drawn outrage from Republican lawmakers, who in recent years have proudly expanded gun rights in Texas. On Wednesday, state prosecutors threatened a lawsuit if the fair did not reverse course.

“Dallas has fifteen days to fix the problem,” said Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, “or I will see them in court.”

Tensions over where and how gun owners can carry firearms in public are frequent in Texas, but the conflict with one of the state’s most beloved institutions has moved the fight onto unusual turf. The fair hasn’t backed down since cowboy-hat-wearing organizers announced the new policy at a press conference last week.

The fair, which reopens in September and runs for nearly a month, dates back to 1886. In addition to a maze of interludes, car shows and the Texas Star Ferris wheel — one of the tallest in the U.S. — the fairgrounds is also home. to the annual college football rivalry between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma. And after Big Tex, the tall cowboy who greets fairgoers, went up in flames in 2012 due to an electrical short circuitmet the fair mascot great fanfare upon its return.

But a shooting near the rows of food stalls last year dampened the party.

Investigators said one man opened fire on another, injuring three people and resulting in police clearing the fairgrounds. Videos posted on social media showed groups of people running along sidewalks and climbing barriers as they fled.

Defending the new policy Wednesday, fair spokeswoman Karissa Condoianis acknowledged that it has drawn “both criticism and praise.” She noted that the fair previously allowed gun owners to carry concealed weapons “even after virtually all other public events stopped allowing the same.”

“This is the right decision moving forward to ensure a safe environment and family-friendly atmosphere,” Condoianis said.

Republican lawmakers urged the fair to reconsider in a letter signed by more than 70 lawmakers who argued the ban made the fairgrounds less safe and was “anything but a tribute to Texas.”

In a separate letter to the city of Dallas, Paxton argued that the ban violates the rights of gun owners in Texas. The city owns Fair Park, where the annual fair takes place; Paxton argued that gun owners can proceed with property owned or leased by the government unless otherwise prohibited by state law.

Condoianis said Wednesday that the fair, which is a private, nonprofit organization, “is not a government entity, nor is it controlled by a government entity.” She said they are aware of Paxton’s letter to the city of Dallas, and that it appears he is “seeking clarification” about the city’s relationship with the fair and its use of Fair Park under the long-term lease between the two parties.

The city did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request seeking comment.

Condoianis also agreed that the ban makes the fair less safe, saying the policy is similar to the rules at large community gatherings such as sporting events and concerts. She also noted that 200 uniformed and armed Dallas police officers and members of the fairgrounds security team will patrol the fairgrounds. The fair said on its website that attendees go through a screening process before entering.

The fair is a “microcosm of the kind of mystique that comes with Texas,” said Brian Franklin, associate director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The fair, he said, speaks to Texans’ desire to emphasize the state’s rural cowboy heritage and to be on the cutting edge of technology.

“You can go to the hall where there are all the most amazing new cars and maybe other displays about technology,” he said, “and then you can also go and see the show cows.”

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