Two years after the Uvalde school massacre, families of victims have filed lawsuits against Meta, Activision, and Daniel Defense. The wrongful death lawsuits come after a $2 million settlement with the city of Uvalde over the 2022 massacre. The lawsuits allege that Instagram, Activision, and Daniel Defense enabled and emboldened firearm manufacturers to expand the market for their weapons, targeting insecure adolescent boys. The lawsuits claim that the gunman was cultivated online by these companies, leading him to purchase the AR-15 used in the shooting.
The lawsuits allege that the Uvalde gunman downloaded the video game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” and had been playing previous iterations of the game since he was 15 years old. The game prominently features a model of the AR-15 used in the shooting. The gunman was also targeted with aggressive marketing on Instagram, where Daniel Defense extolled the illegal, murderous use of its weapons. The gunman created an account with Daniel Defense, added the DDM4V7 to his cart, and purchased the weapon on his 18th birthday, just days before the shooting.
Attorney Josh Koskoff, representing the families, stated that the lawsuits against Meta, Activision, and Daniel Defense are working in concert with each other. He criticized Instagram for creating a connection between adolescents and guns, particularly through companies like Daniel Defense. An Activision spokesperson expressed sympathy for the families impacted by the Uvalde shooting and emphasized that millions of people enjoy video games without turning to acts of violence. The families are also filing a $500 million federal lawsuit against state police officers and school officials involved in the botched response to the shooting.
The families’ lawsuits are based on the belief that social media and video games played a role in influencing the Uvalde gunman’s actions. They claim that the combination of engagement with “Call of Duty” and targeted marketing from Daniel Defense contributed to the purchase of the AR-15. The Justice Department’s report on the shooting highlighted “cascading failures” in law enforcement response that allowed 77 minutes to elapse before the suspect was confronted and killed. The families seek accountability from both law enforcement and social media companies in their pursuit for justice for the victims of the Uvalde massacre.
The impact of social media and video games on young people’s behavior has been a topic of debate, with concerns about their role in influencing violent acts. The lawsuits against Meta, Activision, and Daniel Defense bring attention to the potential consequences of online engagement with firearms content. The families’ legal actions aim to hold these companies accountable for their alleged involvement in enabling and emboldening the Uvalde gunman. As the legal process unfolds, the families continue their pursuit of justice and accountability for the tragic events that unfolded on that fateful day at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
