Don’t take your guns to rodeo, son: Event bans open, concealed carry
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced Tuesday that it will not permit the public to carry handguns at the event this year.
Joel Cowley, president and chief executive officer, said the decision was based on a desire to “promote a family-friendly atmosphere. We don’t think the private carry of handguns is conducive to that.”
The event runs from March 1 to March 20.
Open carry of firearms has been a hot topic in Texas since a new law took effect Jan. 1 authorizing licensed handgun carriers to openly wear their weapons in public and in private establishments that allow it.
A number of businesses and nonprofits, including the Houston Zoo, have said they would not allow the open carrying of weapons on their grounds.
In 2015, the rodeo be- gan prohibiting concealed carrying of weapons, screening visitors with a wand. This year the rodeo will use magnetometers, similar to those used at Houston Texans games, to check for prohibited items.
Legal pocket knives will still be allowed, Cowley said. A full list of items prohibited at the event is posted on its website. Hoverboards were added to the list this year.
Cowley said some fans of the event were concerned about the possibility that handguns would be permitted and postponed buying tickets until a decision was announced.