MONTGOMERY, Alabama – An organization has installed computerized ammunition vending machines in grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas that allow customers to buy a gallon of milk together with ammunition.
American Rounds says its machines use an identification scanner and facial recognition software to confirm the customer's age and are as “quick and easy” to make use of as a tablet computer. But advocates fear that selling ammunition from vending machines will result in more shootings within the U.S., where not less than 33 people were killed by gun violence on Independence Day alone.
The company believes that its age verification technology will make transactions as secure, or much more secure, than online sales, which can not require the customer to supply proof of age, or in-store sales, which could also be liable to shoplifting.
“I'm very grateful for those who take the time to get to know us and not just make assumptions about what we're about,” said CEO Grant Magers. “We're very much for the Second Amendment, but we're for responsible gun use and we hope we're improving the environment for the community.”
According to a database maintained jointly by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, there have been 15 mass murders involving firearms up to now in 2024, in comparison with 39 in 2023.
“Innovations that make ammunition sales safer through facial recognition, age verification and serial sales tracking are promising security measures that belong in gun stores, not where you buy your kids milk,” said Nick Suplina, senior vice chairman of law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “In a country rife with guns and ammunition, and where guns are the leading cause of death among children, we do not need to further normalize the sale and promotion of these products.”
Magers said grocery stores and others have approached the Texas-based company, founded in 2023, concerning the idea of selling ammunition using automated technology. The company has one vending machine in Alabama, 4 in Oklahoma and one in Texas and plans one other in Texas and one in Colorado in the approaching weeks, he said.
“I think people were shocked when they thought about the idea of selling ammunition in a grocery store,” Magers said. “But as we explained, how is that different from Walmart?”
Federal law requires that you just be 18 to purchase ammunition for shotguns and rifles and 21 to purchase ammunition for handguns. Magers said the customer of her machines should be not less than 21 years old.
The device works by asking the client to scan their driver's license to verify they’re not less than 21 years old. The scan also verifies that it’s a legitimate license, he said. This is followed by a facial recognition scan to confirm “that you are who you say you are as a consumer,” he said.
“At that point, you can complete the transaction for your product and off you go,” he said. “If you're familiar with the machine, the whole process takes a minute and a half.”
The vending machine is one other sales method that exists alongside retail stores and online retailers. A March report from Everytown for Gun Safety found that several major online ammunition retailers seemed to be failing to confirm the age of their customers despite having required measures in place.
Last yr, a web based retailer settled a lawsuit brought by the families of those killed and injured in a 2018 Texas highschool shooting. The families said the 17-year-old shooter was in a position to purchase ammunition from the retailer, who didn’t confirm his age.
A Pennsylvania police officer began an organization about 12 years ago that places ammunition vending machines in private gun clubs and shooting ranges as a convenience for patrons. These machines shouldn’t have an age verification mechanism, but are placed in places where age restrictions apply, said Sam Piccinini, owner of Master Ammo.
Piccinini talked to an organization years ago about integrating artificial intelligence to confirm a consumer's age and identity, nevertheless it was too expensive on the time, he said. At American Rounds, a machine needed to be faraway from a location in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, due to disappointing sales, Magers said.
Magers said initial interest within the machines was primarily in rural communities where there could also be few retailers selling ammunition. American Rounds machines are positioned in Super C Mart and Fresh Value grocery stores in small towns, including Pell City, Alabama, which has a population of over 13,600, and Noble, Oklahoma, which has a population of nearly 7,600.
“Someone in this community might have to drive an hour or an hour and a half to get supplies if they want to go hunting, for example,” Margers said. “Our grocery stores wanted to be able to offer their customers another category that they thought would be popular.”
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