Microsoft and Meta, alongside gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, are facing legal challenges as the families of the Uvalde School Shooting victims have filed two wrongful death lawsuits against them, citing the influence of the popular battle royale Call of Duty in the horrific act that happened two years ago on May 24, 2022.
Activision expresses condolences but sticks to games not influencing gun violence
One of the lawsuits was lodged in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Microsoft-acquired Activision Blizzard and Meta while another was in Uvalde District Court against Daniel Defense. Surprisingly, these lawsuits followed a $2 million settlement with the city of Uvalde over the Robb Elementary School attack that killed 19 students and two teachers.
Represented by attorney Josh Koskoff, the suits claim those firms conspired with the firearms industry in a scheme that preys on insecure adolescent boys. It asserts that marketing on Instagram and Call of Duty influenced the shooter, preconditioning him to think that an AR-15 would solve his problems and training him to use it.
The suit says the gunman, on his 18th birthday, purchased the AR-15 after seeing targeted online advertisements from those companies. Activision expressed sympathies on the game but defended video games, saying there is no causal link between them and gun violence, stating “millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts”.
With the lawsuit filed, Meta has not commented on the situation. In addition, the families will file a $500 million federal lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers over their botched handling of the shooting. The verdict is yet to arrive, so keep an eye on this space.
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