Should we be able to pack pistols at the State Fair of Texas?
A judge heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against the City of Dallas, which banned firearms at the event.
Paxton has sued the city and the beloved State Fair of Texas, alleging that the ban was unlawful since the event is on government-owned public property, NBC DFW reports.
Last month, the state fair unveiled its updated policy, which basically says, “Hey, don’t bring guns to the fair unless you’re a cop.” State fair organizers said they reached the decision after “reviewing the policies of similar Texas events and consulting with all of our security partners.” Karissa Condoianis, a spokeswoman, told the New York Times that the fair is still “a strong supporter of the rights of responsible gun-owning Texans.”
Previously, you could bring your instrument of death, as long as you had a license to carry or a permit to pack a concealed handgun. But because guns are dangerous and people are stupid, one idiot shot up the fair’s food court last year. After this, people (very understandably) thought, “Hey maybe we shouldn’t bring dangerous shit like this to the fair.”
Of course, this immediately became fodder for our unending, dystopian culture war, and Republicans got stuck in their feels about not being able to exercise their God-given right to cosplay as Rambo while eating a corn dog.
Dozens of Republican members of the Texas Legislature wrote an angry letter to the fair, saying: “While it may be that your new policy placates some, the result will make your patrons less safe. Gun-free zones are magnets for crime because they present less of a threat to those who seek to do evil.” (Editor’s note: That’s a pretty wild quote in the context of 2024, when people get slaughtered in mass shootings during huge public events multiple times per year.)
Paxton’s office took up the cause, issued a 15-day notice to the City of Dallas, urging them to rescind the ban on firearms with threat of a lawsuit. They didn’t, and here we are.
The fair opens next week, on Sept. 27. It does seem like it would be cool to enjoy a churro crumble cheesecake bite without fear of getting shot.
