Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against the state's capital city on Thursday over a gun ban in Austin City Hall, Mediaite reports.
Paxton tweeted a statement on the lawsuit:
Texas' open carry law allows people to carry guns in plain sight and forbids local governments from preventing residents from carrying weapons into government facilities unless a courtroom is located in the building.
The city wrote Paxton in June that City Hall falls under that courtroom exemption, but in a letter dated July 5, Paxton's office said it was "unable to determine which government court or office utilized by a government court, if any, is located within the city hall building."
The city could be fined $1,000-$1,500 a day for a first violation of the law and $10,000-$10,500 a day any violations after that.
The attorney general's office was first made aware in September a sign in City Hall was banning guns, but it was removed in March. In April, a resident told the AG's office that guards were still issuing "oral warnings" to gun carriers.
Austin is a left-leaning island in conservative Texas.