Is this an easily securable space? (Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0)

One of the great things about Texas is that there are so few places that are safe for showboat killers. The reason you hear mostly about schools is that they’re among the very few such places. It’s also why you hear about mass murderers having driven hours or more to reach a movie theater or a church: so few of those locations have been made safe for mass murderers. It takes work to find places in Texas where only criminals are allowed to carry firearms.

Recently, the State Fair of Texas has decided to add one more vulnerable population to the list: the millions of visitors to the annual State Fair.

Guests will be channeled through weapons detection technology which screens for dangerous weapons in the presence of a licensed and trained security officer.

Not wishing to see such a prime target made safe for mass murder, I wrote a very short letter:

The decision to prohibit lawful carriers from defending themselves and others at the Texas State Fair is very disappointing and potentially very dangerous. By only allowing criminals to carry firearms at the Fair, the Fair meets all the classic requirements of showboat killers: dense crowds of young media-friendly targets, maze-like surroundings, and effective self-defense banned.

The critical flaw in their policy is that it amounts to only allowing criminals to carry at the Fair. An outdoor fair is not amenable to effectively screening visitors for weapons. Screening in such an environment is unnecessary for non-criminals and ineffective against criminals. The new policy is nothing more than a deliberate inconvenience to Texans visiting the fair (my guess is that the people running the fair are not the kind of people who go to an agriculture-themed, fried-foods-friendly State Fair). It won’t be any inconvenience to criminals for whom a giant open fair where everyone else is disarmed is prime hunting ground.

The Fair’s response was a canned text that addressed none of the dangers:

Thank you for your inquiry. The State Fair of Texas is-and always has been—a private entity. As a private, not-for-profit organization, the State Fair of Texas leases property from the City of Dallas for its event. The State Fair is not a government entity nor is it controlled or supported by a government entity.

The State Fair of Texas has long been, and continues to be, a strong supporter of the rights of responsible gun owning Texans. For that reason, the Fair has long allowed State Fair attendees with a valid Texas License to Carry (LTC or CHL (concealed handgun license)) to carry their handguns while at the Fair (except for locations prohibited by law). After carefully considering the issue and reviewing the policies of similar Texas events, the State Fair has decided to prohibit open and concealed carry at the fairgrounds. This decision is consistent with an August 9, 2016 opinion letter issued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in which the Attorney General confirmed that the law which prohibits the government from banning handguns from most government property (Texas Government Code 411.209) applies only to bans implemented by the government and does not override the rights of a private entity that happens to operate on property leased from the government. In that situation, the private entity is no different than any other business operating on private property.

We know that this is an important issue for many Texans, and that the Fair’s decision may disappoint potential fairgoers who regularly and responsibly practice License to Carry or Constitutional Carry. However, the Fair strongly believes that this is the right decision moving forward to ensure a safe environment and family-friendly atmosphere. The State Fair of Texas works with DPD, DFR, DART Police, DISD Police, regional, state, and federal partners as well as private security partners to help keep fairgoers, employees, and vendors safe. While each of these entities focus on ensuring a safe and family-friendly environment at the State Fair of Texas, we also ask that everyone remain “Fair Aware.” If you see something that doesn’t look right on the fairgrounds, please say something to a uniformed police officer or State Fair Safety Team member. Let’s all do our part to keep the State Fair safe.

Thank you,

Your Tex Team Member

A new game for fairgoers: spot the murderer and report to security. (Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Addressing the legality of disarming everyone except criminals misses the point entirely, that an outdoor State Fair is not the kind of environment in which scanning legal visitors is any more than security theater. They’ve turned the Fair into a perfect killing ground, and their solution is pretty much what we saw fail spectacularly at Butler, Pennsylvania: try to get law enforcement’s attention while the killer(s) set up shop.

…we also ask that everyone remain “Fair Aware.” If you see something that doesn’t look right on the fairgrounds, please say something to a uniformed police officer or State Fair Safety Team member. Let’s all do our part to keep the State Fair safe.

That’s effective security. When you see someone firing into the crowd, look around for a security guard.

Normally, when a venue chooses to block law-abiding carry by searching everyone who enters, I’m disappointed, but at least they’re taking responsibility for keeping everyone disarmed, and not just victims. Given how often weapons get into planes and into prisons, it is almost certainly destined to fail, but at least they’re trying to take their responsibility seriously.

The State Fair, however, is held in Fair Park. Fair Park is neither an airliner nor a walled prison. Fair Park is a wide open 277 acres. According to some official sites, the State Fair takes over all of the Park. It’s a big place, with a big, big perimeter to guard and a whole lot of buildings, grounds, parking and storage to hide something at when the perimeter is broken. There are vast supplies going in and out, an army of workers handling them.

The Fair provides more than 7,000 seasonal job opportunities every year, with approximately 2,200 people employed directly by the State Fair of Texas.

This is not a concert hall with a handful of entrances where every employee knows everyone else. This is a small city with a small city’s count of access points and a small city’s maze of personal politics and winked-at shortcuts.

Running “weapons detection technology” by funneling fairgoers through a focused access point will not keep a showboat killer or a terrorist or even a minor murderer out. All it will do is give them free run of the place, and potentially turn the entrance itself into a great killing field on its own.