On the grim anniversary of the Uvalde school shooting, relatives of the victims are taking on big tech and gunmaker giants in two sweeping lawsuits. Suing Meta, Activision, and Daniel Defense, the families allege these companies played a key role in advertising and promoting the weapons used in the massacre, as reported by Fox San Antonio. The case puts a spotlight on the intersection of online influence and real-world violence.
Josh Koskoff, an attorney renowned for a significant legal victory for Sandy Hook families, declared the lawsuits on behalf of the Uvalde victims' kin. The complaints argue that the three companies were responsible for making accessible what they describe as "weapons of war" that are claimed to have groomed socially vulnerable young men, aiming the guns like a shooter that saw it as a solution, as The Washington Post details.
The lawsuits contend Meta and Activision exposed underaged users to a cycle that conditioned them to violence, with Activision's "Call of Duty" series and Meta’s Instagram platform pointed at for their roles in the tragic events. This fallout is further highlighted with Activision's response to the lawsuits, emphasizing that "millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts," as they told Fox San Antonio.
In the midst of this legal struggle, families are not only fighting for justice for their loved ones but also trying to drive substantial change. A previously settled insurance payment by the city of Uvalde and promised reforms are steps recounted by Koskoff, who is also pressing for clearer answers on the conditions that enable such tragedies to occur. The lawsuit is seen as a means to bridge the gap in accountability that has been left ajar, even by authorities, especially when officials, criticized for their slow response, have mostly kept their jobs witnessed the painful tragedy with having stood still for 77 minutes before acting.
These fresh lawsuits spring from an intensifying quest to hold accountable not just the individual behind the trigger but the wider network of influences that the families and their legal representatives believe contributed to the horror of May 24, 2022. With both Meta and Daniel Defense not responding to requests for comment, the narrative surrounding the suit is framed by a silence that contrasts with the outcry and demands of the victims' families and the public for answers and action.
