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Publix has quietly made changes to a policy that allowed customers to openly carry guns insideits Floridagrocery stores.
The Florida-based chain. which operates more than 1,400 locations acrossthe Southeast, now says on its website it "kindly asks that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in our stores."
The change comes months after Publix said it would permit open carry in its hundreds of locations across the Sunshine State after a state appeals court ruling. struck down the state’s banas unconstitutional.
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The entrance to a Publix Super Market July 30, 2024, in Miami, Fla.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
"As of Sept. 25, 2025, Florida law allows the open carry of firearms," a spokesperson for Publix previously told FOX Business, adding the company "follows all federal, state. local laws."
At the time, Publix was one of only a few grocery chains willing toallow customersto openly carry guns.
Other major retailers — including Walmart, Target, Costco, Winn-Dixie. Sam’s Club — had already asked customers not to bring guns into their stores, according toWESH 2.
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An employee stocks a cheese shelf at a Publix grocery store in Surfside, Fla.(Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Private businesses, including grocery stores, remain entitled to bar weapons.
Additionally, certain locations such as courthouses, schools. government facilities are classified as prohibited places for carrying open or concealed guns.
"Any person carrying a firearm who violates the private property owner’s warning to depart will be committing armed trespass, a third-degree felony," a guidance memorandum from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to Florida law enforcement agencies. prosecuting authorities said.
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Customers shop at a Publix grocery store in Athens, Ga.(Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Signs reflecting Publix’s updated stance have also begun appearing at some store locations, according to theMiami Herald.
No major incidents were reported while the policy allowing open carry was in place. However, the shift follows a recent accidental gun discharge at a Miramar store, which prompted a police response. safety sweep, the Miami Herald reported.
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FOX Business reached out to Publix for comment.
FOX Business' Pilar Arias contributed to this report.
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