Gun control advocates are concerned about bullets being sold from vending machines after a Texas-based company installed an ammo sale machine in various establishments around the country.
“What’s happening is that everybody is hearing the words: ammunition, vending machines, and grocery stores, and they are throwing this all out of context,” says America Rounds CEO Grant Magers.
In November 2023, American Rounds, based in Dallas, launched their first ammunition vending machine in Alabama.
“We are the safest and most secure method of selling ammunition on the market while maintaining the integrity of the Second Amendment,” Magers tells me.
Since the first machine, the company has installed six ammo vending machines in retailers across the country, with two more opening in Canyon Lake, Texas, this month.
The new technology has alarmed gun control supporters.
“In a country where guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens, Texas included, and in a state that has experienced some of the most high-profile mass shootings in recent years, expanding gun access, and, in this case, ammunition access, is the wrong direction,” says Nicole Golden, executive director of Texas Gun Sense.
Large retail establishments typically sell ammunition and store it on shelves. The shelves publicly display it, much like cereal boxes in a grocery store. Indeed, the small size of the boxes makes them easy to steal. Bad individuals commit unlawful acts. We all have a responsibility as an industry to limit the risk, not just our company but anyone who sells ammunition or firearms, and we are doing so,” Magers says.
Magers claims that the state-of-the-art automated dispensers feature the latest AI technology. The machine is a touchscreen. You select your goods, check out, and then enter your ID to confirm your age. It employs the same identification scanners as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
“It’s about examining all these subtle facial traits.” It makes you smile. You cannot hold a photo up there because it is looking for facial movement.” It looks at 92 different points on your face,” Magers explains.
“I’ve heard that the corporation believes they have fantastic technology, but given that this is new to the public, it’s difficult to feel confident in that, especially when we see gun violence episodes scarring our communities every day. How secure are these machines against theft? Golden asks, “How can we be sure that people will not vandalize them?”
“Our machines are double-walled steel weighing two thousand pounds, as well as triple-lot machines. They are located in stores that have received false reports. People have reported that they operate around the clock. That’s not true. They have this vision of an old-fashioned vending machine where you put in a dollar and input your code, which is E5, and then a candy bar descends to the bottom,” says Magers.
According to American Rounds, the vending machine system assures that all transactions follow federal and local rules.
