Texas State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R) has filed a bill that, if passed, would make it illegal to prohibit licensed gun owners from carrying firearms on government owned property.
H.B. 1715 would include contractors using government property for events, like the State Fair of Texas which uses Fair Park, owned by the city of Dallas.
The bill was filed just months after Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the city of Dallas and the State Fair of Texas for implementing a gun ban during its 2024 season.
The State Fair of Texas banned firearms from fairgrounds after a shooting injured three people in 2023.
But the ban prompted a backlash from the Texas Gun Rights (state affiliate of the National Association for Gun Rights), and Republican state lawmakers.
Texas Gun Rights President, Chris McNutt shared his appreciation of the introduced legislation:
“H.B. 1715 is a critical step in ensuring that Texans cannot be disarmed on taxpayer owned property. We warned the State Fair and other bad actors that if they proceeded with their anti-gun policies that we would address it in Austin. Now, we’re making good on our promise,” said McNutt. “We are grateful to Representative Cain for spearheading this issue with H.B. 1715, and continuing to be a stalwart champion for gun rights in Texas.”
The Texas Government Code already prevents state agencies and political subdivisions from banning guns on government owned property, unless it’s a protected “Gun-Free” Zone like a school or courthouse.
However, because the State Fair of Texas is a nonprofit, State Fair officials previously said they were legally permitted to enforce a new firearm policy.
Despite Paxton’s lawsuit, the gun ban stood in place for the duration of last year’s fair.
Read more at Texas Scorecard.
