State Fair

[joshv53]

Are you allowed to carry inside the state fair? I know the law says that amusement parks are a no carry zone, however the State Fair is not a permanent attraction. Thanks for any input

[TxRVer]

They have allowed concealed carry the last few years. Tell the person with the wand you have a CHL and you will bell be directed to a police officer.

[mewalke]

If you search the forum there are a few threads that discuss the fair grounds during the Fair.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=58516&hilit=+state+fair

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=65681&hilit=+state+fair

TL/DR: I haven't been yet - moved to TX after the Fair ended last year - but it appears that if you show your CHL they will take you over to a LEO to verify it and you will be on your way. Check out both linked topics for more info.

[joshv53]

There is a football game in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, will that change being able to carry or is that only if you are inside the stadium?

[The Annoyed Man]

There is a football game in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, will that change being able to carry or is that only if you are inside the stadium?

Should be only inside the stadium.

[Wes]

Amusement parks are not off limit unless posted with a valid 30.06 sign or other acceptable methods. Whether or not the midway would be considered one I am not sure. I carried there last year though, walked up and showed the guy with the wand my chl, he directed me to an officer who checked it, and I went in.

[Mx217]

Concealed Handgun Policy

A person holding a valid Texas Concealed Handgun License (or valid CHL from a reciprocating state) is permitted to enter onto State Fair property with his/her concealed handgun; provided, however, that CHL holders will not be permitted to carry their concealed handgun inside the Cotton Bowl Stadium, a facility defined under Texas Penal Code 46.035 as "the premises where a high school, collegiate or professional sporting event or interscholastic event is taking place." Note that the Fair does not provide lockers for the storage or checking of weapons for CHL holders, so if you plan to attend a game or event in the Cotton Bowl, please secure your weapon at home or in your vehicle prior to entering the fairgrounds. We want the Fair to be a fun and safe experience.

http://www.bigtex.com/sft/guestinfo/faqs.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SC1903A3]

When I went to the State Fair last year when the gate security started to wand me I pointed at the DPD officer and said I needed to speak to him. Showed the officer my CHL. His response was to remind me the Old Mill Stream restaurant was 30.06 posted and that the Cotton Bowel was off limits during games. I made a snarky comment about gate security not knowing how to wand people. He laughed and said Yeah.

[Dragonfighter]

Amusement parks are not off limit unless posted with a valid 30.06 sign or other acceptable methods. Whether or not the midway would be considered one I am not sure. I carried there last year though, walked up and showed the guy with the wand my chl, he directed me to an officer who checked it, and I went in.

The amusement park question is irrelevant, it is owned by the city.

(e) It is an exception to the application of this section that the property on which the license holder carries a handgun is owned or leased by a governmental entity and is not a premises or other place on which the license holder is prohibited from carrying the handgun under Section 46.03 or 46.035.

And for your further reading enjoyment:

(1) "Amusement park" means a permanent indoor or outdoor facility or park where amusement rides are available for use by the public that is located in a county with a population of more than one million, encompasses at least 75 acres in surface area, is enclosed with access only through controlled entries, is open for operation more than 120 days in each calendar year, and has security guards on the premises at all times. The term does not include any public or private driveway, street, sidewalk or walkway, parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area.

-em mine

[C-dub]

I will not be going this year, but this is what I've done the last few years. I don't tell anyone at the gate that I have a CHL or gun or anything like that. I just tel them that I would like to see an officer. They usually know what I mean anyway and will just walk me to them. I do not show anyone except the officer my CHL. A few years ago one of the security folks tried to insist that they needed to document my name and address or phone number and I wouldn't let them and argued, in the officer's presence, that they could not prevent me from carrying since the park was owned by the city and that providing any personal information to anyone working there would amount to a form of registration. The officer agreed with me.

Since then they have not tried to collect any information from me, but have heard from others here that they have tried occasionally. That is probably more the Platinum Security folks, though, rather than the wanders or gate supervisors. Some of those Platinum folks get a little uppity. Last year was the easiest for me. The gate folks were very polite and no one yelled out anything like we've heard from some folks.

[sjfcontrol]

The last time I went we entered through one of the back gates. They weren't wanding that day at that gate, so I just walked in.

[bizarrenormality]

The amusement park question is irrelevant, it is owned by the city.

If it was an amusement park owned by the city, it could still be posted off limits for the good guys.

The bad guys don't care, so it's obvious the real reason anti gun politicians keep 46.035 on the books.

[Aggiedad]

My wife and I (both with CHLs) went to the State Fair yesterday, the first day of the fair. There was a sign clearly stating that carrying a weapon inside the fair was forbidden but if you read far enough, CHL holders were/are exempt. It directed CHL holders to ask for a supervisor at the security checkpoint. When it was our turn, before we could say anything, the security staffer asked to see inside my wife's purse. My wife declined permission to search and asked for a supervisor. The security staffer said, "No problem, follow me" and we were escorted to a uniformed police officer 15 yards inside the gate where we presented our CHLs (no driver's license requested). The police officer gave the CHL's a quick glance and said, "Have a nice day." No big deal.

[Dragonfighter]

The amusement park question is irrelevant, it is owned by the city.

If it was an amusement park owned by the city, it could still be posted off limits for the good guys.

The bad guys don't care, so it's obvious the real reason anti gun politicians keep 46.035 on the books.

The reason I emboldened the selected text is this. The Midway (and the few scattered rides) that are inside Fair Park neither cover 75 acres (about 13, the whole deal including Cotton Bowl and museums is barely a hundred acres), is NOT open 120 days a year and do not have security there at all times. So it is not an amusement park under those tests.

It is city owned so there is no other pretense by which they can post 30.06.

Perhaps I should have written, "It is owned by the city AND the amusement park question is irrelevant." Yeah, that's better.