There’s a new way for firearms owners in the US to buy ammunition: vending machines. A Texas-based company called American Rounds has installed the machines in supermarkets in the states of Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas.
The machines scan drivers licences and use facial recognition software to verify a purchaser’s age, the Associated Press reports. Under US federal law, anyone 18 years old or over can buy rifle and shotgun ammunition, and anyone 21 or over can buy handgun ammunition. American Rounds has set the minimum age for buying any bullets from its machines at 21.
The company’s CEO Grant Magers has claimed his vending machines are safer than bricks-and-mortar stores, where there’s a risk of shoplifting, and online retailers, which reportedly don’t always require purchasers to submit proof of age.
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While Magers said his company was “for responsible gun ownership,” some have expressed concern that having another way to buy ammunition will only increase the number of illegal shooting sprees in the US. According to the Gun Violence Archive, 390 people died in mass shootings in the US between January and June this year.
Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, told the Associated Press that while “innovations that make ammunition sales more secure … are promising safety measures”, he believed they belonged in specialised gun shops, not supermarkets.
“In a country awash in guns and ammo, where guns are the leading cause of deaths for kids, we don’t need to further normalise the sale and promotion of these products,” he said.
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Magers counters arguments like Suplings by pointing out bullets (and firearms) are already sold at Walmarts across the country.
According to Magers, demand for his vending machines appeared to be highest in rural communities where few retailers sold ammunition.
“Someone 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,” he said. “Our grocery stores wanted to be able to offer their customers another category that they felt like would be popular.”
