A Canyon Lake, Texas, supermarket has a new vending machine, but rather than selling candy, drinks or potato chips, it dispenses ammunition.
Lowe’s Market on Sattler Road in Canyon Lake was the recent recipient of the first ammunition vending machine in the state.
While recent trends across the U.S. have seen vending machines used to sell sandwiches from places like Subway, marijuana products, candied bacon and even crack pipes, they are now being used to sell ammunition.
While some may be concerned selling ammunition from a vending machine could lead to bullets in the hands of criminals or even children, the company behind the latest trend, American Rounds, claims its machines offer the highest standards and state-of-the-art security.
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American Rounds CEO Grant Magers told Fox News Digital his company was established last summer. Since then, it has installed ammunition vending machines at eight locations.
The first machine was installed at a Fresh Value supermarket in Pell City, Alabama. American Rounds also has four machines in Oklahoma at Super C Marts located in Noble, Lindsay, Wetumka and Kingston.
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.
The eighth vending machine will be installed at a LaGree’s Food Store in Buena Vista, Colorado, next week.
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“We have over 200 store requests for AARM (Automated Ammo Retail Machines) units covering approximately nine states currently, and that number is growing daily,” Magers said.
With business on the rise, Magers said he found it equally important to address the technology used in the ammunition kiosks, saying it provides accessibility but also safety.
The CEO said technology was a key factor when deciding to create American Rounds. Ammunition is sold otherwise either online or off the shelf.
“These environments lead to inadvertent sales to underaged purchasers, and … in the case of retail stores, a high theft rate,” he said. “What we loved about this concept is the AARM units use state-of-the-art ID scanners combined with facial recognition before a transaction can be made.”
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Magers said the facial recognition and state-of-the-art ID scanners ensure a buyer is of legal age and is who he says he is.
Magers said the machines weigh up to 2,000 pounds and are “well secured from theft.”
“We only place them inside stores and not outside,” he said, suggesting his company does the opposite of Redbox, which often places its kiosks outside stores.
Magers boasted that his team is made up of people who support law-abiding gun ownership, adding they believe in the Second Amendment and a need in the market to provide a safe and secure method to sell ammunition.
“[The ammunition vending machine] maintains the integrity of the Second Amendment and reduces the opportunity for error in retail sales environments,” Magers said.
Another concern is with the data the kiosks collect during the transaction, though Magers said that is protected too.
“We do not give out, share or sell our customers’ information,” he said. “The scan is for verifying the customer is of legal age and that they are who they say they are only.”
Lowe’s Market did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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