Current protocol
Guns are not allowed on the fairgrounds. Only current law enforcement and qualified retired officers are permitted to carry firearms, officials said last year while announcing their plans to increase security.
What led up to the current protocol
In October 2023, three people were shot and injured at the fair.
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In 2024, State Fair officials announced a new safety protocol that banned guns, even for licensed gun holders. They also announced a bag size policy, a redesigned entry and a 24-hour security team.
The gunman in the incident two years ago, Cameron Turner, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a weapon in a prohibited place. He was sentenced in June and given 12 years in prison.
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Dallas and the State Fair of Texas in August 2024. The lawsuit argued that the city and fair are violating state law and the Constitution by changing the fair rules to only allow law enforcement to carry guns into South Dallas’ 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.
“The vast majority of the 277-acre Fair Park in Dallas is not a place where weapons or firearms are prohibited, and those licensed to carry should not be subject arrest upon entering the fair grounds or for entering most of the premises within Fair Park,” the lawsuit said.
However, a Dallas County judge dismissed Paxton’s case against the State Fair of Texas’ gun restrictions. This ruling came in June 2025, just one day after Turner, the gunman, was sentenced.
Safety at the fair
State fair officials say despite the legal drama, the safety of fairgoers is their top priority.
“We will continue to work with the Dallas Police Department and other public safety and security partners to help keep everyone who visits and works at the State Fair safe,” said Karissa Condoianis, a spokesperson for the State Fair of Texas.