The Texas State Fair may have packed up for the year, but the battle over the fair’s 2024 carry ban is just getting started. For Texas gun owners, this isn’t just a fight over one event but a stand against the creeping reach of anti-carry policies on publicly owned property.
On October 29, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with three gun-rights advocates, escalated the issue with an updated lawsuit targeting both the State Fair of Texas and the City of Dallas. New plaintiffs, Maxx Juusola, Tracy Martin, and Alan Crider, joined forces in the case State of Texas v. City of Dallas, demanding accountability for what they argue is a blatant violation of Texas law. This suit highlights that Texas law explicitly prohibits government entities from blocking lawful gun carry on properties they manage or lease, a rule that should include Fair Park, home to the state fair.
The plaintiffs argue that the carry ban infringed on their constitutional rights and Texas law. They’re not only asking for the court to overturn the ban before next year’s fair but are seeking $1 million in damages to send a clear message. As the complaint puts it, “A license holder may not be prosecuted for trespass based upon the posting of 30.06 or 30.07 signs on public city-owned or leased property, including Fair Park, except where license holders are prohibited from carrying handguns under [state law].” In plain terms, the City of Dallas has no authority to block licensed Texans from carrying on public property, yet it overstepped here.
The plaintiffs go on to outline that while certain buildings within Fair Park are indeed off-limits for firearms—such as those hosting high school, collegiate, or professional sports—the vast majority of the 277-acre park is fair game for carry under Texas law. They argue the fair’s carry ban took this lawful right away from Texans, infringing on their constitutional protections and state law in the process.
This isn’t Paxton’s first move on the issue. He originally filed a suit against the Fair Board and the City of Dallas in early October, demanding an end to the unconstitutional ban. However, a Dallas judge ruled in favor of the fair’s carry restrictions, allowing the ban to stand just days before the event opened. Now, Paxton and these three determined plaintiffs are back with a stronger case, armed with new evidence and a resolve to prevent this overreach from continuing next year.
And it’s not just Paxton’s lawsuit making waves in Texas’ pro-Second Amendment circles. Also on October 29, the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed a new lawsuit challenging Texas laws that restrict carrying firearms in specific venues. Their case, Ziegenfuss v. McCraw, takes aim at laws prohibiting lawful carry in establishments where alcohol makes up 51% or more of sales, racetracks, and sporting events—even when the carrier is stone-cold sober and legally allowed to carry.
FPC’s President Brandon Combs didn’t mince words when announcing this lawsuit. “FPC already struck down Texas’s ban on firearm carry for adults under the age of 21,” he said. “We now set our sights on ending enforcement of these locational bans so that all peaceable adults may carry firearms in public places without fear of criminal prosecution. This case is one of dozens we are litigating to help us achieve our strategic objectives and eliminate unconstitutional and immoral carry restrictions throughout the United States.” Combs’ statement captures what many Texans are thinking: It’s time for these overreaching bans to be struck down for good.
Filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Fort Worth, this case is another crucial step in pushing back against laws that chip away at Texans’ rights to defend themselves. For those who respect the Second Amendment, it’s high time to stop bending to bureaucratic overreach that denies responsible gun owners the ability to carry freely in the state they call home.
In both these cases, the message is clear: Texans are fed up with restrictive carry policies that fly in the face of their legal rights. It’s not just about winning a lawsuit—it’s about protecting a core freedom enshrined in the Constitution and reinforced by Texas law. These lawsuits represent a larger movement across the state and the country to halt what many see as an erosion of self-defense rights.
For Texas gun owners, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
