American Rounds, an ammo vending machine company, has installed machines in stores in three states. Buyers have to show ID. CEO Grant Magers argues that makes it among the safest ways to sell ammo.
Shoppers at select grocery stores across the South can now pick up something quite unconventional: ammunition dispensed from high-tech vending machines. These machines offer a variety of 12-gauge shotgun shells and 9mm rounds.
The company behind this innovation, American Rounds, has placed these dispensers in approximately 10 grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas, with plans to extend into Colorado. Buyers must be at least 21 years old, verified through the machine by reading IDs and using facial recognition technology to ensure the buyer’s face matches the ID. These machines only accept credit cards—no cash is allowed.
Grant Magers, the CEO of American Rounds, believes that the rigorous verification process makes these machines one of the safest methods for selling ammo. “People have in their mind the old type of vending machine that drops a candy bar to the bottom or a bag of chips,” he said. “That’s not how these operate.”
The first ammo vending machine was installed in a Fresh Value grocery store in Pell City, Alabama, in November 2023, Magers said. Recently, American Rounds expanded to a Lowe’s Market in Canyon Lakes, Texas, at the end of June.
Fresh Value, Lowe’s Market, and Super C Mart—the third grocery chain featuring these machines—did not respond to requests for comment.
According to Magers, the machines weigh 2,000 pounds, and the ammo is securely stored behind layers of locked steel.
Magers argues that the heavy-duty construction—combined with advanced verification techniques—makes this method more secure than buying ammo at gun shops. “Thieves can pocket rounds like a loaf of bread off the shelf,” he said, whereas online sellers only verify age with a simple checkmark box.
“When you put it in context in terms of availability, we’re the safest and most secure on the market, and that’s what we want,” he said. “We’re bettering our communities by being responsible in terms of how we sell ammunition.”
Nonetheless, some experts caution that these dispensers could potentially facilitate easier access to ammo for criminals.
“If it was a system that did do a background check, then we could talk about a system that prohibits unlawful sales,” remarked David Pucino, legal director for the Giffords Law Center, the policy arm of the anti-gun violence organization founded by Gabrielle Giffords, the survivor of a mass shooting. “Their accomplishment is that they’re making it easier and easier to source ammo, no questions asked.”
Where are the dispensers?
The machines are primarily located in rural areas, Magers said, where gun owners might otherwise have to drive an hour to the nearest sporting goods store to purchase ammunition.
Staff at seven stores known to have these machines declined to comment. Several even hung up on a reporter. Vicki Briscoe, a shift manager at the original Alabama location, mentioned that the machine was “very popular” among local customers but refrained from commenting further.
American Rounds restocks the machines every two weeks to a month, according to Magers.
The type of ammunition available varies with the season. For instance, during turkey hunting season, you’ll find rounds for hunting turkey, and during deer hunting season, rounds for a 10-point buck are on offer.
Magers noted that the dispensers do not retain purchaser data.
Are they safe?
While the machines may surpass local laws that don’t require IDs for purchasing ammunition, that doesn’t necessarily make them a better option, according to Pucino.
“It’s both exploiting and reflecting massive gaps in our federal law,” he said. According to federal regulations, people who cannot legally buy guns cannot buy ammunition either, but vendors aren’t required to perform background checks.
“The industry may claim to be closing gaps for preventing theft, but in actuality, they could be opening new paths for ammunition to fall into dangerous hands.”
Some local laws are indeed stricter: For example, in Sacramento, ammo vendors must maintain sales records, which officials have used to identify illegal purchases. Tennessee law prevents vendors from selling to intoxicated individuals.
“It is nice that it’s requesting IDs or age verification; none of those things are required,” Pucino said. “But what they’re not doing is having human intervention to check for red flags.”
