Guns At State Fair Lands Texas Man in Federal Prison
(Beaumont, Texas) - A Beaumont man has been sentenced for federal firearms violations after showing up to a family-friendly event with several guns.
A big political debate this fall in Texas involved Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton suing the State Fair Of Texas over a policy banning guns from its fairgrounds. The ban was implemented after a shooting last year at the fair.
While a judge upheld the State Fair Of Texas' decision, an incident at a different Texas state fair earlier this year helped lend credibility to the judge's decision.
19-Year-Old Damon Donte Henry smuggled a fully loaded short-barreled AR-15-style rifle into the South Texas State Fair on March 30, 2024.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, around 10:30 p.m., Beaumont police on bike patrol at the fair noticed Henry suspiciously carrying a large backpack near one of the rides. When the officers attempted to speak with Henry, he immediately ran away, discarding the backpack.
Officers quickly discovered the AR-15-style rifle and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. After a short chase, Henry was subdued in the fair parking lot. After recovering the firearms, officers found that the rifle was unlawfully modified to be shorter than required by federal law, which mandates that rifles with an overall length less than 26 inches or a barrel less than 16 inches be registered with the ATF.
The rifle was also equipped with a large capacity magazine and 26 rounds of ammunition.
A federal grand jury indicted Henry on June 5, 2024. On November 13, 2024, pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and was sentenced to 46 months or nearly 4 years in federal prison.
Maybe it's a good idea to stop letting just anyone be allowed to carry guns into events that are meant to be safe and fun for everyone in my opinion.
Big shoutout to the Beaumont police the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the FBI for keeping folks out of harm's way.
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