TX Grocery Store Gets Bullet Vending Machine

A Texas grocery store has become the latest to get a bullet vending machine, indicating a larger and more disturbing trend cropping up across the country.

Fox Business is reporting that the first bullet vending machine in the state was recently delivered to Lowe’s Market on Sattler Road in Canyon Lake.

Vending machines have been used to sell marijuana goods, candy bacon, crack pipes, and sandwiches from restaurants like Subway in the United States. However, as of late, these machines have also been utilized to sell weapons.

The business behind the newest craze, American Rounds, asserts that their vending machines provide the highest standards and cutting-edge security, despite some people’s worries that selling ammo from a machine could put bullets in the hands of criminals or even children.

The first machine was installed at a Fresh Value supermarket in Pell City, Alabama. Along with the vending machine at Lowe’s Market in Canyon Lake, the company plans to install another at a second Canyon Lake Lowe’s Market in a couple of weeks.

Last week, the company launched a similar bullet vending machine in Oklahoma.

The American Rounds vending machines use artificial intelligence (AI), card scanning, and facial recognition to confirm the age of the customer in accordance with federal regulations requiring the purchase of pistol and long gun ammunition from individuals who must be at least 21 years old. The problem with these vending machines is that, according to federal law in the United States and the government’s own website, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), it is imperative that they appropriately sell and dispense firearm ammunition to adults who meet the legal age requirements and not minors. This precisely complies with 27 CFR 478.99(b); 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1) and (b)(2).

The ammunition-based vending machines, while stylish and convenient, have caused criticism on multiple fronts. There are six locations where these vending machines are currently in use. But a machine in a Tuscaloosa store was just taken out after a city council meeting raised concerns about its legality.

President Kip Tyner said he was surprised and concerned to see these devices at a Fresh Value grocery shop, assuming they were a prank, during the city council briefing. Constituents who questioned the safety and legality of these vending machines called him. The machines are lawful provided they comply with zoning regulations, according to the city’s legal department. However, the retailer removed the machines on July 3 due to minimal sales.