Select grocery stores in the South now offer a unique experience to their shoppers: the convenience of purchasing ammunition from a state-of-the-art vending machine. These machines contain a wide variety of 12-gauge shotgun shells and 9mm rounds, making it easy for customers to quickly and efficiently obtain the ammunition they need.
American Rounds, the company responsible for these innovative machines, has successfully deployed them in around 10 grocery stores located in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas. The company is now planning to expand its reach to Colorado. To purchase products from these dispensers, buyers must be at least 21 years of age. The machine verifies the buyer’s age by reading their ID and then uses facial recognition technology to ensure that the buyer’s face matches the ID. These machines do not accept cash and only allow payment through credit cards.
According to Grant Magers, the CEO of American Rounds, their dispensers are potentially the safest way to sell ammunition due to their strict verification process. He emphasizes that their machines are not like the traditional vending machines that dispense candy bars or chips. He says, “People have this old idea of what vending machines do, but that’s not how these operate.”
Unfortunately, requests for comment from Fresh Value, Lowe’s Market, and Super C Mart, the third grocery chain equipped with the machines, went unanswered.
According to Magers, the machines have a weight of 2,000 pounds and the ammunition is securely stored behind multiple layers of locked steel.
According to Magers, the security of rounds can be significantly increased by storing them in 2,000-pound machines behind steel and only dispensing them to verified shoppers. He believes that buying rounds from gun shops is less secure as they can be easily stolen like a loaf of bread off the shelf. Online sellers, on the other hand, only verify ages by requiring a simple check mark in a box, which is not a reliable method of authentication.
He stated that their priority is to provide the safest and most secure ammunition in the market. They aim to better the community by being responsible in terms of their sales approach.
According to experts, dispensers may potentially facilitate the access of ammunition to criminals.
David Pucino, the legal director for the Giffords Law Center, which is the policy arm of the anti-gun violence organization founded by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, expressed his views on the current system in which background checks are not mandatory for the purchase of ammunition. According to him, if such a system were in place, it would be possible to prevent unlawful sales. He also pointed out that the current system makes it increasingly convenient to acquire ammunition without any inquiries.
Where are the dispensers?
According to Magers, the stores primarily cater to gun owners residing in rural areas. These individuals would otherwise have to travel long distances, sometimes up to an hour, to purchase ammunition from a sporting goods store.
When asked about the machines, staff members at seven stores chose not to comment, with some even hanging up on reporters. Vicki Briscoe, a shift manager at the first Alabama location, did mention that the machine was a hit with the locals, but declined to provide further details.
According to Magers, the machines at American Rounds are restocked every two to four weeks.
During specific hunting seasons, you can find a variety of ammunition for sale. For example, turkey hunting season will have rounds suitable for hunting turkey, while deer hunting season will offer rounds capable of taking down a 10-point buck.
Magers clarified that the dispensers do not store any customer information.
Are they safe?
Pucino argues that even though machines can surpass the limitations of local laws that don’t mandate the presentation of identification for the purchase of ammunition, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a better alternative.
According to him, the current situation reveals significant loopholes in our federal laws. As per the regulations, individuals who are not eligible to purchase firearms are also prohibited from buying ammunition. However, vendors are not obligated to conduct background checks, which both highlights and exploits the gaps in the system.
“The industry is taking advantage of loopholes in the law under the guise of theft prevention, but this could potentially lead to the removal of necessary checks. It’s alarming that ammunition can end up in the wrong hands and result in fatalities.”
According to the Giffords Law Center, some local laws exceed federal regulations. For example, ammo vendors in Sacramento are required to keep sales records, which law enforcement officials have utilized to uncover illicit purchases. In Tennessee, it is illegal for vendors to sell ammunition to individuals who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Pucino acknowledged the positive move of requesting IDs or age verification, but also pointed out the lack of human intervention in checking for red flags. “None of those things are required, but it is nice that they’re doing it,” Pucino stated. However, the absence of human intervention to identify potential issues remains a concern.
