Families of Uvalde shooting victims sue Activision and Meta

Families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, are suing Activision and Meta, as well as gun maker Daniel Defense.

The families filing the lawsuit are represented by attorney Josh Koskoff, who previously obtained a settlement from Remington for the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims. The lawsuit against the tech companies claims: “Over the past 15 years, two of America's largest technology companies… have collaborated with the gun industry in a scheme that gives Joe Camel's campaign a ridiculously innocuous, even picturesque appearance. »

Specifically, the suit points to Activision's popular “Call of Duty” video game franchise, which it describes as a “clever form of marketing.” [that] helped develop a new, youthful consumer base for the AR-15 assault rifle,” and Instagram, the Meta-owned photo app, which, the suit alleges, “knowingly promulgates flimsy and easily circumvented rules that ostensibly ban gun advertising; in fact, these rules function as a handbook for the firearms industry.

In a statement, Activision expressed sympathy for the families but said: “Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrible acts. » We have contacted Activision and Meta for additional comment.

According to the lawsuit, the Uvalde shooter was a “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” player, and he was also targeted by Daniel Defense's advertising on Instagram. (Meta prohibits the sale of weapons on its platforms, but the Washington Post previously reported that the company gives arms sellers 10 strikes before booting them.)

“Defendants chew up insane teenagers and spit out mass shooters,” the lawsuit claims.

Politicians continue to debate whether video games encourage gun violence. A recent study from the Stanford Brainstorm Lab reviewed 82 medical research articles on the topic and concluded: “Current medical research has found no causal link between video gaming and real-life gun violence.” »