AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed two lawsuits against the City of Dallas for banning lawful license holders from carrying handguns.
Paxton’s office says the ban on guns at Fair Park’s Music Hall and The Majestic Theatre are “blatant” violations of Texas law.
The city’s Office of Cultural Affairs leases both The Majestic Theatre and Music Hall at Fair Park. Under Texas law, governmental subdivisions have no authority to prohibit license holders from carrying their handguns. Paxton’s office says Dallas has repeatedly done this to citizens, going so far as threatening to arrest citizens.
Ken Paxton
| Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
“The law is clear,” Paxton said. “Cities like Dallas have no authority to override state statutes that enable license holders to lawfully carry their handguns and protect themselves from potential threats.
“I will always do everything in my power to defend Texans’ gun rights from cities that would strip us of our legal rights.”
Last year, Paxton’s office filed a similar lawsuit against Dallas for restricting license holders from carrying their handguns into the Texas State Fair.
In the Music Hall complaint, Paxton’s office says Dallas entered into a 20-year lease agreement in 2009 to lease the multi-story Music Hall at Fair Park to DSM Management Group for the rental rate of $1 per year “for the cultural benefit of the city and the public with Broadway musicals and theatrical productions.”
According to the Music Hall filing, Heath Garner attended an event there on August 6, 2023, and saw signage that said those licensed to carry like him were prohibited from doing so. A uniformed Dallas police officer confirmed that to Garner.
Garner sent a letter to the city on November 2, 2023, about the issue and gave the city three days to comply. The city never responded to Garner’s letter and never took down the signs, according to the complaint.
He went to another event at the Music Hall on March 2, 2024, and had the same issue. He again sent a letter to the city two days later.
On August 13, 2024, another licensed gun holder Grant Walsh and had a similar situation. A uniformed police officer also told Walsh he would be arrested if he tried to enter the facility. He sent the city a letter about the issue on September 21, 2024. Six days later, he filed a written complaint with Paxton’s office.
On October 1, 2024, Joshua Clark also sent an email to the city notifying it of the violations.
On September 10, 2024, Attorney General investigator Alex Dubeau went to the Music Hall to investigate. On October 15, 2024, Dallas City Attorney Tammy Palomino responded to the AG’s office and said it had not violated state code because “DSM is a private nonprofit organization that operates the Music Hall” and “installed the signs at issue in the Music Hall without any input or involvement of the city.”
Dubeau returned to the Music Hall on March 25, 2025, to confirm the signs still were there.
In The Majestic Theatre filing, the AG’s office says the historic performing arts center is owned by the city, used in part by promoters to present performing arts events, concerts and comedy shows as well as for corporate meetings, nonprofit fundraisers and private functions. The city’s Office of Cultural Affairs manages the facility.
According to the Majestic complaint, Walsh attended an event there February 16, 2023, and was searched by a security officer and by a Dallas police officer. He showed his handgun license to the police officer, who told him he couldn’t take the gun inside. He had a similar situation a year later on February 17, 2024.
On September 21, 2024, he also emailed the city about his concerns with the signage. The city didn’t respond or take down the signs, according to the complaint. On September 29, 2024, Walsh went back to the Majestic and took photos of the signage.
The AG’s office contacted the city about the Majestic issue on September 30, 2024. On October 15, 2024, Palomino also replied regarding this site, again saying the city didn’t violate state code.
The city said Walsh took his photo on a Sunday when the facility wasn’t open to the public. The city also said it removed any signage in response to the AG’s letter, but it also said it had no control over private event promoters and that promoters display the signage at issue without input from the city.
Walsh told the AG’s office he went to the Majestic on February 2, 2025, and saw the signage again. Dubeau visited the facility for the AG’s office on March 25, 2025, and was told by a security officer people carrying handguns are not allowed inside when it is open to the public.
In both complaints, Paxton’s office says the city is violating state code because neither facility falls within the description of places where weapons are prohibited by Texas Penal Code which specifies such places. And Texas Government Code prohibits political subdivisions from taking any action, including the act of providing notice that states or implies someone with a license to carry a handgun is prohibited from entering a place owned or leased by the government entity.