American Round, a manufacturer of automated ammunition vending machines, has installed what it calls “ammunition vending machines” in several grocery stores in Alabama and Oklahoma. According to KOCO 5 News in Oklahoma City, the machines sell a variety of ammunition for shotguns, rifles, and handguns.
While firearm sales are somewhat regulated by the federal government, ammunition is largely unregulated in the United States. Still, gun control laws require people to be 18 or older to buy rifle or shotgun ammunition.
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KOCO reported that to buy ammunition at a dispenser, buyers must be at least 21 years old. But American Round's website says that instead of store associates being able to verify a buyer's age, the dispensers will use AI technology such as facial recognition software and card scanning to verify a customer's identity. Transaction data is stored, but the company does not share any information collected during purchases.
KOCO reports that American Round CEO Grant Magers said the machines don't limit the amount of ammunition customers can purchase, but the company can remotely shut down any unit at any time if there's a risk of a shooting nearby, Magers said in an email to IEN.
The ammunition vending machines are being sold at Fresh Value grocery stores in Pell City and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Super C-Marts in Kingston, Lindsay, Noble and Wetumpka, Oklahoma. KOCO also reported that the company has begun operating machines in Texas and Colorado.
But the Tuscaloosa store faced resistance as ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama, reported that Fresh Value removed the vending machine on July 3.
The move comes after a pre-City Council meeting questioned the legality of the dispensers, with the city's Law Department concluding that the machines are legal when installed in retail establishments within the proper zones.
ABC 33/40 quoted a manager at Fresh Value grocery store as saying the machines were being removed due to falling sales.
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