THREE US STATES NOW HAVE VENDING MACHINES THAT DISPENSE BULLETS

The enthusiasm for firearms in the United States has reached new heights, with gun owners in three states now having the convenience of buying bullets from vending machines located in grocery stores.

In the southern states of Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas, customers can now scan their ID on ammo dispensers, similar to drink vending machines. After browsing through various options, they can walk away with rounds for their weapons.

American Rounds, the company behind these ammo dispensers, has equipped the devices with advanced technology. “Our smart retail automated ammo dispensers have built-in AI technology, card scanning capability, and facial recognition software,” the company stated. “Each piece of software works together to verify the buyer’s age and ensure that the person using the machine matches the identification scanned.”

Alabama grocery stores are selling gun ammo in vending machines.YouTube / American Rounds.

Federal law in the US requires customers to be at least 18 years old to purchase ammunition for long guns such as rifles and shotguns, and at least 21 for handgun bullets. American Rounds asserts that its identity verification mechanism ensures that only eligible individuals can make purchases.

The vending machines are up and running at Fresh Value stores in Tuscaloosa and Pell City.YouTube / American Rounds.

The company plans to continue rolling out the devices in states where hunting is popular, including Louisiana and Colorado.

However, a store in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, removed the machine after its legality was questioned at a city council meeting. The city’s legal department confirmed that the machines are legal if they meet proper zoning requirements.

The vending machine is stocked with bullets.YouTube / American Rounds

The US has long been associated with gun violence, with mass shootings, especially in schools and colleges, becoming routine due to the freedom to purchase firearms. According to a report by the National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM), over 42,000 people died from gun injuries in the US in 2023. The report added that the number of people killed by firearm violence, a leading cause of premature death, grew by nearly 43 percent between 2010 and 2020.

“In 2023, 35 percent of gun deaths were homicides, 56 percent were suicides, nearly four percent were unintentional shootings, three percent were police shootings, and less than two percent were mass shootings,” the report noted.

American Rounds – the company that has developed the ammo dispenser having built-in AI technology  Photograph:(Others)

Recent months have seen numerous cases of young children and adults dying from firearm use, but the issue remains contentious at a higher level, with both Democrats and Republicans taking a binary position.