Can you open carry at the mall? What to know about gun rules while shopping
Now that open carry is legal in Florida, gun owners will still need to pay attention to where they are. And that includes shopping.
Many malls have existing no-weapons policies. Aventura Mall, for instance, says that Florida’s open carry law won’t change the long-established policy at the Northeast Miami-Dade complex, which is privately owned.
Simon Properties — which operates Dadeland, Sawgrass Mills, The Falls, Brickell City Centre and Miami International malls — has a posted code of conduct that lists “no weapons.”
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While malls generally prohibit firearms of any kind inside, businesses along public streets face a different situation.
Consider the open-air Lincoln Road, the pedestrian plaza in South Beach.
“Lincoln Road is a public street,” said Melissa Berthier, director of communications for Miami Beach. “The city cannot restrict the open carry of firearms, however, individual stores may elect to do so.”
The same store-by-store rules could apply on similar public shopping streets such as Miracle Mile in Coral Gables and Flagler Street in Miami — with open carry weapons allowed on public sidewalks but not inside private businesses.
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There is no confusion at Publix, though. The Florida-based supermarket chain has announced that open carry is allowed in its grocery stores.
“Florida law allows the open carry of firearms. Publix follows all federal, state and local laws,” in a statement provided by Publix spokesperson Lindsey Willis. “Treating customers with dignity and respect is a founding belief at Publix. In any instance where a customer creates a threatening, erratic or dangerous shopping experience — whether they are openly carrying a firearm or not — we will engage local law enforcement to protect our customers and associates.”
But that doesn’t mean you can pop into a shop next door, in the same Publix shopping center, with a weapon. And you may not even be allowed to open carry while walking through a Publix shopping center or parking lot if it’s owned by a different company. Remember: Each private business makes its own call on a weapons policy.
MORE: People can now carry firearms openly in public in Florida, attorney general says
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s recent memo to law enforcement officers that open carry is “the law of the state” followed a First District Court of Appeal ruling that Florida’s ban on open carry was unconstitutional.
Despite the change, open carry isn’t allowed in hospitals, bars, prisons, police stations, courts, government proceedings, religious sites or schools.
“We continue to respect everyone’s Second Amendment rights, but it’s important to know that the open and concealed carrying of firearms remains restricted in numerous places,” Boca Raton police officer Jose Martinez said.
