Progress: Alabama Grocery Stores Now Selling Ammo From Vending Machines

Two grocery stores in Alabama currently have an automated vending machine that dispenses ammunition.

American Rounds markets an automated ammunition dispenser which uses artificial intelligence technology to verify a buyer’s identification and age through card scanning and facial recognition software.

The buyer inserts their photo ID, and the machine conducts a 360-degree scan to match it to the ID card.

The machines can currently be found at Fresh Value locations in Tuscaloosa, at 4200 McFarland Blvd., and Pell City, 1009 Martin St. The company plans to expand to other locations in Alabama as well, according to CEO Grant Magers.

— William Thornton in Vending machines dispense ammunition at two Alabama grocery stores: How they work

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13 thoughts on “Progress: Alabama Grocery Stores Now Selling Ammo From Vending Machines”

  1. Lost me at scanning IDs and facial recognition. It’s basically just data collection disguised as convenience.

    I’ll keep using cash at the local “mom and pop” shop to buy ammo.

    1. I Haz A Question

      I’ve always paid cash everywhere my entire life, and rarely even carried ID (yes, even here in CA) until I *had* to start doing so when I got my CCW.

      Ain’t no way I’m going to opt into facial recognition.

        1. I Haz A Question

          Not true for all situations and/or purchases. Only gunz and ammo, though we’re making progress on the ammo BGC front.

          And most people don’t realize that even our ammo law has certain exemptions in which residents are legally allowed to import (e.g., bring back from outside CA upon returning from a trip elsewhere) up to 50 rounds per instance. Adding to this, the law does not specify neither the timeframe in which this exemption applies, nor the maximum “instances”. So, since the law says if you were outside CA for either (1) legitimate hunting purposes or (2) a firearms training course, you may bring back up to 50 rounds if the cartridge matches your gun(s) used for those exercises. But the law doesn’t state anything like “only once per [day/month/etc]” or “only applicable to one firearm”. Now, this is admittedly a stretch, but technically one can argue they’re following the law’s text by bringing 500 rounds back from AZ to the CA border, pulling over to the shoulder at the border, and then walking back and forth with a box of 50 each time, ending up with the total 500 rds on the ground for you to pick up when you pull you car across the border.

          Do it twice if you have two guns with you with different calibers.

          1. …And no one says anything about how badly our right to bear arms has been infringed by the likes of Gavin Newsom…

            People like him need to be “reached out to and touched…”

    2. The average citizen has their facial recognition scanned and reported over 1,100 times every day. If you think you have anonymity you are mistaken.

  2. Geoff "I'm getting too old for this shit" PR

    Anyone care to bet how long it will take to get broken into and cleaned out?

  3. These dispensers may be convenient;but, I bet the price reflects the cost of convenience.
    Too many other places to purchase ammo and use cash vs a picture I D and debit/credit card.

  4. SAFEupstateFML

    1 cash
    2 no data storage
    3 no tech more advanced than the 70’s

    But a tiny step in the right direction with a few backwards.

  5. fed should issue ammo, and perhaps heat. everyone armed and dangerous = law abiding population. sure, we lose a few but no one leaves here alive anyway.