Ammunition vending machines are a thing now. Will they be at Kentucky grocery stores?

Bread, milk, eggs... shotgun shells?

If bullets aren't already on your grocery list, wait awhile. A north Texas company has begun installing high-tech vending machines dispensing 9mm rounds and 12-gauge shotgun shells across a handful of southern states.

IndyStar reached out to the CEO of American Rounds, the company behind the ammo dispensers, on whether it has plans of expanding into the Midwest. The short answer? Possibly. Here's what we know.

Can you buy ammo from a vending machine?

Depending on where you live, you can purchase an assortment of ammunition from vending machines in select stores across three U.S. southern states. The first Automated Ammo Retail Machine, or AARM unit, was installed in November 2023 at a grocery store in Alabama.

What states have ammunition vending machines?

As of Thursday, American Rounds has installed ammo vending machines in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas, with plans to expand into Colorado by next week.

Where are the ammo vending machines?

Up to eight U.S. grocery stores, which include Fresh Value, Super C Mart, and Lowe's Market now have ammo vending machines. One store in Alabama recently removed its dispenser after questions arose concerning its legality, according to a FOX TV news-affiliate in Chattanooga.

Are ammo vending machines coming to Kentucky?

Possibly, but the exact timeline isn't known yet, according to Grant Magers, CEO of American Rounds, who told IndyStar he's received more than 200 requests from retail outlets across nine states — including Kentucky — from businesses interested in the dispensers.

"We have had several requests to place our machines in Indiana and Kentucky," said Magers, who declined to name which stores reached out to the company. "We have plans of future growth throughout the country and we would consider it an honor to be a part of the Indiana and Kentucky communities."

Kentucky laws:Is it legal to leave your kids home alone in Kentucky? What's recommended

Are ammo vending machines safe?

That depends on who you ask.

Magers stressed AARM units help keep ammunition more secure than what's currently sold on the shelves, which can be pocketed, he said, by thieves. The dispenser, however, encases ammo behind several layers of steel inside a 2,000-pound machine. It utilizes facial recognition software as well as scanning a potential buyer's driver's license as an age verification check to prevent unlawful sales.

"People have in their mind the old type of vending machine that drops a candy bar to the bottom or a bag of chips,” Magers told USA TODAY. “That’s not how these operate.”

Experts warn the dispensers could only make it easier for criminals to get ammo.

“If it was a system that did do a background check, then we could talk about a system that prohibits unlawful sales,” David Pucino, legal director for the Giffords Law Center, told USA TODAY.

According to the Giffords Law Center, which serves as the policy arm of the anti-gun violence organization started by former Arizona Congresswoman and mass shooting survivor Gabrielle Giffords, the machines don't address instances where local locals go beyond federal regulations.

Ammo vendors in Sacramento, for instance, have to maintain sales records, which prosecutors have used to identify illegal purchases, according to the Giffords Law Center. Magers said AARM dispensers don't retain purchaser data. Tennessee law also prevents vendors from selling to intoxicated people.

“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.”

USA TODAY reporter Michael Loria contributed to this article.

John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at JTuftsReports.