From the Editorial Staff

The newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, July 11, 2024, p. 27

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green signed a law banning people under 21 from buying ammunition and requiring sellers to verify identification presented by buyers.

The activist organization Moms Demand Actions welcomed the approval of the new legislation, and in X highlighted that Hawaii remains a national leader in gun safety.

The initiative, which brings the number of such measures to six US states, came to light after the AP reported that the company American Rounds installed computerized vending machines to sell ammunition in grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas, allowing customers to buy bullets along with a carton of milk.

American Rounds said its machines use an ID scanner and facial recognition software to verify a buyer’s age.

But activists are concerned that selling bullets through vending machines could lead to more shootings in the United States, where gun violence killed at least 33 people on Independence Day.

There have been 15 gun massacres so far in 2024, compared with 39 in 2023, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press. USA Today and Northeastern University.

Vending machines selling bullets or other age-restricted materials are not entirely new. A Pennsylvania police officer founded a company about 12 years ago that places bullet-vending machines in clubs and private shooting ranges for the convenience of customers.