Gun owners in three US states can now buy ammunition from vending machines

8 July 2024, 09:51

One of the machines is installed in a US shop
One of the machines is installed in a US shop. Picture: YouTube / American Rounds

By Asher McShane

Gun owners in some parts of the US can now buy bullets from vending machines.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

A company has launched kiosks that make ammo ‘more available’ to the gun-toting public.

Some shops in Texas, Alabama and Ohio now allow customers to scan IDs on a vending machine, and walk away with bullets for their guns.

says they are as easy to use as an ATM.

“Our automated ammo dispensers are accessible 24/7, ensuring that you can buy ammunition on your own schedule, free from the constraints of store hours and long lines,” says American Rounds, the company that makes the machines.

Read more: Mystery of barman, 25, found beaten to death after shamanic ritual ceremony in Venice

Read more: Mother who admitted helping end the life of her terminally ill son 40 years ago dies

The machines use facial recognition to check the customer's face against their ID
The machines use facial recognition to check the customer's face against their ID. Picture: YouTube / American Rounds

The machines use “built-in AI technology, card scanning capability and facial recognition software” to match a buyer’s ID to their face and ensure they are over 18 years old.

Customers use a touch screen to choose the right bullets for their gun - the rounds are then delivered through a hole at the bottom of the machine.

A promotional video for the machines shows a customer using the vending machines in a shop while on a motorised wheelchair, before raising her fist in the air and shouting: “It’s ammo? Whoo!”

American Rounds CEO Grant Magers said demand for the machines was “growing daily” and that the company supported “law-abiding, responsible gun ownership”.