The families of those who died in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas sued Call of Duty publisher Activision and Meta. They are it is claimed said the companies “knowingly exposed the gun to the shooter [he used]conditioned to see it as a solution to their problems and trained to use it.” Plaintiffs also accused companies that “chew up alienated teenage boys and spit out mass shooters.”
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs explained that the Uvalde shooter was playing Call of Duty, consisted of an assault-style rifle developed by gun manufacturer Daniel Defense. They also noted that the arms manufacturer often visits Instagram, which advertises its products. The lawsuit also alleged that Instagram gives gun makers an “unmonitored channel to speak directly to minors, in their homes, at school, even in the middle of the night.” He claimed the shooter was a “poor and isolated teenager” from a small Texas town who only learned about and focused on AR-15s because he was exposed to the gun while playing. Call of Duty and visit Instagram. In addition, he accused Meta of being more lenient with firearms dealers than other users who violate its rules. The meta prohibits the sale of weapons and ammo, but users can do so violate the policy 10 times before being banned from their platforms.
“The truth is, the gun industry and Daniel Defense didn’t act alone. They could have reached this kid just for Instagram,” attorney Josh Koskoff, attorney for the plaintiffs, said at a news conference. “They couldn’t put him through the dopamine circuit of actually killing someone. Call of Duty does that.” Koskoff’s law firm was the same one that reached a $73 million settlement with rifle maker Remington for the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
This was reported by Activision’s spokesperson The Washington Post and Bloomberg law “The Uvalde shooting was horrific and heartbreaking in every way,” he said, adding that the company offered its deepest condolences to the families, but that “millions of people around the world enjoy video games without resorting to horrific acts.”
