Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the immersive art venue Meow Wolf Grapevine, the State Fair of Texas and three other businesses across the state, alleging the businesses banned off-duty officers from carrying guns.
The lawsuit filed against Meow Wolf on Feb. 21 alleges the business, located inside the Grapevine Mills mall, violated an article of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure that since last July an establishment serving the public cannot restrict a peace officer from carrying an authorized weapon. Businesses in violation are subject to a $1,000 penalty per instance, according to the code.
The lawsuit alleges off-duty officers Eric Perkins, deputy chief of police at River Oaks Police Department, and Dallas Police Department SWAT team sergeant Daniel Harris were barred from carrying guns at Meow Wolf Grapevine when they visited on different occasions in 2023.
Paxton wrote to Meow Wolf Grapevine director of security Tony Perkins about complying with the law; Perkins wrote that the venue had updated its policies, according to the lawsuit. Despite the assertion in that letter, the lawsuit alleges, Meow Wolf Grapevine subsequently banned off-duty Sherman Police Department corporal Scott Vance from carrying a gun into the business.
Herman Campos, from Carrollton, visited the Grapevine Mills mall Tuesday afternoon. He believes off-duty officers should be allowed to carry firearms into businesses, because they have to be prepared for any event at all times.
“They’re supposed to be prepared for anything and everything, any kind of action that might require the use of a firearm to protect people,” Campos said. “That’s their duty.”
Meow Wolf Grapevine declined to comment on ongoing litigation. According toits code of conduct page, Meow Wolf Grapevine bans visitors from bringing weapons of any kind, including any firearms, pocket knives, pepper spray, large chains and spiked jewelry.
Paxton also sued The Factory in Deep Ellum, Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie and The Lucky Duck in San Antonio over alleged violations, all of which prohibit visitors from bringing firearms inside the venue.
Seth Bodine is a business and economic development reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at seth.bodine@fortworthreport.org or follow@sbodine120.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.