Clear out the news cobwebs and travel back to the old days — I mean, seven or eight months ago.
That’s when Florida began allowing people to openly carry firearms in most places except courthouses, schools and so on, thanks to an appeals court ruling. Private businesses retained the right to ask customers not to stroll around visibly armed. Many did just that, including chains like Winn-Dixie and Walmart.
Publix, with 900-some stores in Florida, became the pew-pew outlier. Open carry was allowed in stores, a spokesperson confirmed when word got out to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Some shoppers were skeeved out by the idea of pistols on display near the cold cuts. Others said they’d feel safer seeing a responsible gun owner packing.
However, it seems the days of open carry at Publix could be over. A reader wrote to me saying they’d heard the guidance had quietly shifted. There had been no announcement, and as of this writing, there’s no policy about guns on the website.
I reached out to a spokesperson last week and got no reply. I reached out again this week, adding in a higher-up to the thread. No reply. I reached out one more time with a deadline. No reply.
Since the humans were mum, I did what I guess we’re supposed to do in 2026 and consulted a robot. When prompted about the open carry policy, Publix’s website chatbot replied:
“Publix kindly asks that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in our stores.”
I then called the customer care line, where a (real) representative confirmed that the store would “prefer” only police openly carry. The representative said the guidance changed about two months ago.
Publix is allowed to do what Publix wants, of course. At the same time, Floridians are passionate about this store, about where they buy their food, about the experience they can expect while feeding their families. Of course they would want clarity on something as loaded, literally, as weapons. That’s why they write to reporters and columnists who, ahem, do not have aspirations to be the Publix police.
Clarity has not been a company strong suit. Publix, which has donated to both political parties but skews conservative in contributions, has a tendency to oscillate around the aisle on social issues. Trying to please everyone, in my estimation, can lead to strange and muddied statements or a total vacuum of silence when journalists ask fair questions.
Moving away from open carry? I think that’s a good thing, a safer, more responsible choice in a country increasingly burdened by gun violence, in a state where bullet-happy laws have pushed private businesses into the awkward position of regulating community safety on a door-to-door basis.
Others will sharply disagree, but everyone, including Publix, should own their stances boldly. That’s how this whole existence thing works. You can’t please everyone all the time, no matter how you may try.
Get Stephanie’s newsletter
For weekly bonus content and a look inside columns by Stephanie Hayes, sign up for the free Stephinitely newsletter.
