BUENA VISTA, Colo. — A grocery store in Colorado will soon have a computerized vending machine that dispenses ammunition.
Grant Magers, CEO of Dallas-based American Rounds, said the company will install a vending machine at LaGree's Food Stores in Buena Vista.
American Rounds has one ammo vending machine in Alabama, four in Oklahoma and one in Texas. The new machine in Colorado and a new one in Texas should be running by the end of July.
The company previously announced plans to install one of the machines at a grocery store in Pueblo County, but Magers said Thursday that the only one currently planned for Colorado will be in Buena Vista.
American Rounds said their machines use an identification scanner and facial recognition software to verify the purchaser’s age and are as "quick and easy" to use as a computer tablet.
The vending machine works by requiring a customer to scan their driver’s license to validate that they are age 21 or older. The scan also checks that it is a valid license, Magers said.
The age ID check is followed by a facial recognition scan to verify "you are who you are saying you are as a consumer," Magers said.
Federal law requires a person to be 18 to buy shotgun and rifle ammunition and 21 to buy handgun ammunition. Magers said their machines require a purchaser to be at least 21.
The company maintains the age-verification technology means that the transactions are as secure, or more secure, than online sales, which may not require the purchaser to submit proof of age, or at retail stores, where there is a risk of shoplifting.
"I’m very thankful for those who are taking the time to get to know us and not just making assumptions about what we’re about," Magers said. "We are very pro-Second Amendment, but we are for responsible gun ownership, and we hope we’re improving the environment for the community."
"People I think got shocked when they thought about the idea of selling ammo at a grocery store," Magers said. "But as we explained, how is that any different than Walmart?"
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
