More than 70 Texas lawmakers urged the State Fair of Texas board of directors to rescind a ban on guns, a safety measure introduced this year after three were injured in a 2023 shooting at the fair.
The legislators argued in a letter sent Monday that the new rule makes the Dallas fairgrounds less safe for visitors. Previously, licensed gun holders could bring a firearm to the fair if it was concealed.
“Gun free zones are magnets for crime because they present less of a threat to those who seek to do evil,” the letter states. “Recent tragedies have demonstrated the sad reality that you can die while waiting on law enforcement to save your life.”
Fair officials refuted that assertion in a statement Monday. They cited the security efforts that include more than 200 officers patroll ing the fairgrounds while the gates are open.
The letter — signed by elected state officials and Republican nominees — suggested toughening gun rights.
“The Texas Legislature has repeatedly enhanced Texans’ Second Amendment Rights, but your actions raise questions about the need for legislation next Session to further protect these rights on lands managed by the public,” they wrote in the letter.
The fair’s spokesperson Karissa Condoianis clarified that the State Fair is a private, not-for-profit organization that leases property from the City of Dallas for the event. It is not a government entity.
The fair’s volunteer board of directors made the decision to change the weapon policy this year, she said in a statement.
The fair historically didn’t allow anyone to bring weapons onto the grounds with the exception of those having a valid handgun license, provided the gun was concealed. This year’s change was announced last week.
Only current police and qualified retired officers can carry firearms at the fair in accordance with state law, officials said. Credentials will be verified by police in a screening process.
The State Fair of Texas has long supported the rights of responsible gun owning Texans, which is why licensed gun holders could continue to carry at the event even after many other public events prohibited it, Condoianis said in the statement.
Last year, three people were wounded during an Oct. 14 shooting at the fair. Officials said the suspect didn’t have a valid license to carry a gun.
This year’s decision came after consulting security partners and reviewing policies of similar events in Texas, according to the statement.
“The Fair strongly believes that this is the right decision moving forward to ensure a safe environment and family-friendly atmosphere,” the statement reads.
Among the state lawmakers who signed the letter asking the fair to reconsider the rule are Reps. Giovanni Capriglione, Soutlake; Craig Goldman, Fort Worth; Justin Holland, Rockwall; Jeff Leach, Allen; Jared Patterson, Frisco; and Matt Shaheen, Plano.
Other Texas lawmakers who signed the letter include state Sen. Kelly Hancock and former Uvalde mayor Don McLaughlin, who resigned from that post to run for the Texas House.
“The State Fair of Texas claims to be a ‘celebration of all things Texas,’ the letter reads. “Yet this new policy is anything but a celebration of Texas.”