Overview
- Publix quietly updated in-store signs and its website in Florida to ask that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in its stores.
- The guidance targets visible firearms only and does not prohibit customers from carrying concealed guns.
- Publix had allowed open carry after a September 2025 appeals court struck down the state’s ban, then reversed course without offering a public explanation.
- Reaction has been mixed, with some gun-rights supporters threatening boycotts and other shoppers saying they feel safer without visible guns in aisles.
- Other major retailers, including Walmart and Target, already bar open carry in stores, reflecting businesses’ right to set rules on their property under Florida law.