A company has installed computerized vending machines to sell ammunition in grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas, allowing patrons to pick up bullets along with a gallon of milk.

American Rounds said their machines use an identification scanner and facial recognition software to verify the purchaser含羞草研究社檚 age and are as 含羞草研究社渜uick and easy含羞草研究社� to use as a computer tablet. But advocates worry that selling bullets out of vending machines will lead to more shootings in the U.S., where gun violence killed at least 33 people .

The company maintains the age-verification technology means that the transactions are as secure, or more secure, than online sales, which may not require the purchaser to submit proof of age, or at retail stores, where there is a risk of shoplifting.

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 very thankful for those who are taking the time to get to know us and not just making assumptions about what we含羞草研究社檙e about,含羞草研究社� CEO Grant Magers said. 含羞草研究社淲e are very pro-Second Amendment, but we are for responsible gun ownership, and we hope we含羞草研究社檙e improving the environment for the community.含羞草研究社�

There have been 15 mass killings involving a firearm so far in 2024, compared to 39 in 2023, maintained in a partnership of The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.

含羞草研究社淚nnovations that make ammunition sales more secure via facial recognition, age verification, and the tracking of serial sales are promising safety measures that belong in gun stores, not in the place where you buy your kids milk,含羞草研究社� said Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. 含羞草研究社淚n a country awash in guns and ammo, where guns are the leading cause of deaths for kids, we don含羞草研究社檛 need to further normalize the sale and promotion of these products.含羞草研究社�

Magers said grocery stores and others approached the Texas-based company, which began in 2023, about the idea of selling ammunition through automated technology. The company has one machine in Alabama, four in Oklahoma and one in Texas, with plans for another in Texas and one in Colorado in the coming weeks, he said.

含羞草研究社淧eople I think got shocked when they thought about the idea of selling ammo at a grocery store,含羞草研究社� Magers said. 含羞草研究社淏ut as we explained, how is that any different than Walmart?含羞草研究社�

Federal law requires a person to be 18 to buy shotgun and rifle ammunition and 21 to buy handgun ammunition. Magers said their machines require a purchaser to be at least 21.

The machine works by requiring a customer to scan their driver含羞草研究社檚 license to validate that they are age 21 or older. The scan also checks that it is a valid license, he said. That is followed by a facial recognition scan to verify 含羞草研究社測ou are who you are saying you are as a consumer,含羞草研究社� he said.

含羞草研究社淎t that point you can complete your transaction of your product and you含羞草研究社檙e off and going,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淭he whole experience takes a minute and a half once you are familiar with the machine.含羞草研究社�

The vending machine is another method of sale, joining retail stores and online retailers. by Everytown for Gun Safety found that several major online ammunition retailers did not appear to verify their customers含羞草研究社� ages, despite requirements.

Last year, an online retailer settled a lawsuit brought by families of those killed and injured in a . The families said the 17-year-old shooter was able to buy ammunition from the retailer who failed to verify his age.

Vending machines for bullets or other age-restricted materials is not an entirely new idea. Companies have developed similar technology to sell alcoholic beverages. A company has marketed automated kiosks to sell cannabis products in dispensaries in states where marijuana is legal.

A Pennsylvania police officer created a company about 12 years ago that places bullet-vending machines in private gun clubs and ranges as a convenience for patrons. Those machines do not have the age verification mechanism but are only placed in locations with an age requirement to enter, Master Ammo owner Sam Piccinini said.

Piccinini spoke with a company years ago about incorporating the artificial intelligence technology to verify a purchaser含羞草研究社檚 age and identity, but at the time it was cost-prohibitive, he said. For American Rounds, one machine had to be removed from a site in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, because of disappointing sales, Magers said.

Magers said much of the early interest for the machines has been in rural communities where there may be few retailers that sell ammunition. The American Rounds machines are in Super C Mart and Fresh Value grocery stores in small cities, including Pell City, Alabama, which has a population over 13,600, and Noble, Oklahoma, where nearly 7,600 people live.

含羞草研究社淪omeone in that community might have to drive an hour or an hour and a half to get supplied if they want to go hunting, for instance,含羞草研究社� Margers said. 含羞草研究社淥ur grocery stores, they wanted to be able to offer their customer another category that they felt like would be popular.含羞草研究社�