Flowers rest on steps at a makeshift memorial for victims after a mass shooting in Louisville in April 2023. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Abbey Cutrer)
As if we needed more examples of our entrenched gun culture, here’s the latest: Bullets, sold through vending machines — in grocery stores.
The distributor, American Rounds , has recently began installing such machines in a few stores in Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma. Customer ID is scanned using facial-recognition software. Yet, there are no checks into criminal, mental-health or domestic-violence backgrounds.
The machines, defenders say, provide more oversight than online purchases which often does not require proof of age. But having more ways for weapon buyers to avoid scrutiny and accountability makes little sense — if there is any real intention to reduce gun violence. Several mass shootings have even happened inside grocery stores.
This development is relevant because the Kentucky legislature has a habit of copycatting pro-gun laws and policies from other states. That has contributed to the state having some of the weakest gun-safety laws and the 16 th highest gun-death rate. Between 2014-23, there were at least 6,339 shootings, with 2,767 people killed and 5,078 injured, according to the Gun Violence Archives .