Relatives of those tragically killed in the Robb Elementary School incident in Uvalde, Texas have initiated legal action against Activision, the publisher behind Call of Duty, and Meta. They claim the defendants played a part in exposing the perpetrator to the weapon he used, conditioning him to view it as a solution to his problems, and training him in its use. Moreover, the plaintiffs charge the companies with fostering a culture that transforms isolated teens into mass shooters.
In the complaint, it’s outlined that the assailant was a player of Call of Duty, which depicted an assault-style rifle manufactured by Daniel Defense. It was also noted that he often browsed Instagram, where advertisements for the gun manufacturer were prevalent. The claim extends to allege Instagram offered gunmakers a direct and unsupervised communication line with minors, whether at home, school, or late at night. The youth in question, depicted as an underprivileged and isolated individual from a small Texan town, supposedly became fixated on AR-15s through exposure from Call of Duty and Instagram visits. Additionally, the lawsuit voices accusations against Meta for applying a more relaxed enforcement towards firearm sellers compared to other rule violators, allowing offenders to breach its weapons and ammunition sales ban up to 10 times before facing a ban.
“The reality is that this tragic influence on the young shooter wasn’t solely the doing of the gun industry or Daniel Defense. Without Instagram’s influence, they would not have been able to capture his attention,” stated the plaintiffs’ attorney, Josh Koskoff, during a press briefing. Koskoff’s firm is known for securing a $73 million settlement against rifle manufacturer Remington on behalf of families from the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
A representative for Activision conveyed to The Washington Post and Bloomberg Law that the Uvalde tragedy profoundly saddened them, offering sympathy to the victims’ families while maintaining that “millions of people globally engage with video games without resorting to violence.”
