One of the hot topics around East Texas over the last month has been "trail ride safety" and the hot buzz term out here "mass gatherings" which has come under intense scrutiny since 5 people were shot at a trail ride in Smith County nearly a month ago.

Since that incident, The Smith County Sheriff's Office and Smith County Fire Marshal have begun cracking down on local events that they believe have not filed for the proper "permits" to host an event in the county. One man was arrested recently for allegedly hosting a "horse racing event". But there continues to be confusion from many event organizers and promoters about what constitutes as a "mass gathering".

Smith County Precinct 4 Constable Josh Joplin Plans To Address Concerns At An Upcoming Town Hall Meeting

Smith County Constable Joplin announced in a post on his Facebook page, that he will host a town hall meeting on Sunday July 24th at 3:00 PM at The Chapel Hill Volunteer Fire Department at 13801 CR 220 in Tyler. The purpose of the meeting according to Joplin is to discuss and explain Chapter 751 of The Texas Health & Safety Code defined as Mass Gatherings.

If You Trail Ride Or Horse Race, You Need To Be At This Town Hall Meeting

The meeting is slated to explain the permit application process, outline what defines as a mass gathering and answer any questions. Constable Joplin went on to add that Smith County is merely ENFORCING a law that's already on the books in the state. So if you hope to throw an event or trail ride in the near future, it is essential that you attend this meeting to get a better understanding on how the law works.