Lawmakers write to ATF with safety concerns about automated gun ammunition dispensers

WASHINGTON — Two U.S. Senators are calling for answers from the agency in charge of enforcing gun safety regulations about the use of automated gun ammunition dispensers in some stores. The machines use facial recognition technology to scan and verify a customer’s ID.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. sent a letter to the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about what they described as “vending machines that sell ammunition.”

“As our nation continues to grapple with an epidemic of gun violence, these machines threaten to make ammunition more widely available and accessible in our communities, especially to prohibited individuals and those who pose a threat to public safety,” the Senators wrote. “We urge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to closely examine these automated ammunition vending machines and their place in the federal gun safety regulatory scheme, and use the full extent of the Bureau’s authority to prohibit them in supermarkets, grocery stores, and other general retailers frequented by people of all ages and walks of life.”

Our Washington News Bureau spoke with the CEO of the company making these machines, American Rounds.

“I think it’s different from what people have in their mind when they hear what we’re doing,” said Grant Magers. “We’re the only retailer that can say 100 percent an ID is verified at every transaction… They’re two-thousand-pound double walled steel, tripled locked machines that are always inside stores under security cameras.”

American Rounds started putting the machines in some supermarkets and other retail stores back in November.

Markey and Warren ask the ATF if the machines are compliant with federal law. Magers argues the machines are fully compliant and in fact, said they are stricter.

Under federal law, a buyer must be 18 to purchase rifle and shotgun ammunition and 21 for handgun ammo. These machines require buyers for all ammo purchases to be 21.

Magers also argues the machines are a safer alternative to stores that keep ammunition on open shelves, making them vulnerable to theft. He argues it’s also safer than an option many buyers choose: buying gun ammunition online.

“People like to say, ‘Hey you guys are creating more access and ease of access.’ Well, there’s no more ease of access than this right here,” Magers said as he motioned to his cell phone. “You can be a fifteen-year-old kid with a parent’s information and credit card and you can have a thousand rounds and have it shipped right to the house.”

Currently, the machines are available in certain stores in four states: Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Colorado. Magers said they are looking to expand, but where the machines will go will depend on local and state laws.

“We believe that it’s important for everybody in this industry, whether you’re a gun manufacturer, or retailer, or ammo manufacturer or retailer, or you do the accessories, we need to have a social responsibility to make things safer,” said Magers. “We’re the safest and most secure method of ammunition sales in the country.”

Markey and Warren requested a written response to their letter by Aug. 30, 2024.

“The proliferation of these vending machines underscores the urgent need for enhanced regulatory oversight and robust safeguards to prevent unintended public safety consequences,” the Senators wrote. “We urge the ATF to promptly provide clarity on the regulatory framework surrounding these AI-powered vending machines, and take all possible steps to prohibit their deployment in supermarkets, grocery stores, and other general retailers, in order to help safeguard our communities from the dangers associated with virtually unrestricted access to ammunition.”

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