The State Fair begins next week. Will guns be allowed?

A court hearing is set for Thursday to decide whether the State Fair of Texas can legally enforce a new policy that would prevent most people from bringing guns to the event, which kicks off next week.
Dallas County District Court Judge Emily Tobolowsky is holding a temporary injunction hearing in light of a lawsuit filed last month by Attorney General Ken Paxton seeking to block the new policy from going into effect, arguing it’s illegal and infringes on gun owners’ rights. The state official is suing the city of Dallas, its interim city manager and the State Fair of Texas.
Fair organizers announced on Aug. 8 they would increase security and only allow elected, appointed or employed peace officers to carry firearms into Fair Park.
The fair previously allowed attendees with a valid handgun license to bring a gun as long as it was concealed, but state law doesn’t require Texans to have a permit to carry a firearm in a public place. A man shot three people at the event last year.
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The nonprofit group that runs the fair leases Fair Park from the city for the event, one of the state’s largest annual celebrations and the most attended fair in the country. Dallas officials have maintained that city officials weren’t involved in the fair’s decision to enact the new policy and fair officials say they believe it’s their right to put in measures they deem fit to protect patrons.
The State Fair of Texas begins Sept. 27 and runs through Oct. 20.