State Fair of Texas must defend commonsense gun ban

The State Fair of Texas’ planned gun ban would help ensure fairgoers’ safety, boost law enforcement’s ability to respond to problems and encourage more people to attend a great annual event.

So, of course, our ethically challenged attorney general is opposing it. We say to city leaders and leaders of the State Fair: Please take Paxton to court because this fight is worth it, not only for our wonderful fair but for all Texans who want safe public spaces.

This newspaper has long supported the Second Amendment right to own firearms. Responsible gun ownership deserves fierce legal protection against those who would see that right removed.

But no right is absolute, and that is how Texas conservatives like Ken Paxton have treated gun ownership. The State Fair is the sort of place where personal guns don’t belong.

There is a long tradition of such limitations. Guns aren’t allowed at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Dallas Cowboys games, Six Flags and many other public settings. There’s no good reason for a non-peace officer to be carrying a gun at the fair, a family-friendly event expected to draw 2 million visitors.

Fair officials announced the new policy last week, saying that it was no longer allowing licensed gun owners to carry their weapons into the park. Previously the fair prohibited guns with the exception of people with a valid handgun license, provided the gun was concealed.

This commonsense change was prompted in large part by last year’s shooting in the fair’s food court. Three people were injured in a scary incident reminiscent of a 1988 shooting that killed one person and injured three others, including a police officer.

Fair officials have rightly prioritized safety above everything else at the fair since that terrible day. Last year’s shooting was the first at the fair since then, and fair officials have once again enhanced their security plan.

You’d think our state elected officials would applaud and support this effort. Instead, dozens of Republican lawmakers immediately clapped back against the fair’s new gun ban, saying it runs afoul of the Second Amendment.

They falsely say that a gun ban would make patrons more vulnerable to crime. Well, the criminals can’t bring their guns either, and the fair is teeming with trained police who do a great job keeping it safe.

Paxton argues that this ban violates state law allowing firearms on government property. But clearly there are many sensible exceptions to that. Schools. Courthouses. The Dallas Zoo, which like Fair Park is owned by the city but managed by a private nonprofit, also does not allow guns on its grounds. And how about the stadiums in Arlington? The State Fair is no different.

Paxton is an extremist whose views on long-established gun restrictions — the sort that have been in place since the days of the Wild West, by the way — are out of line with most Texans.

He has ordered the city of Dallas to change the gun ban policy within 15 days or he’ll “see them in court.” His bullying needs an answer, and it should be “We’ll see you there.”

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