In the two years since the horrific Uvalde school shooting, the families of the survivors have taken legal action against major shipping companies, UPS and FedEx. The companies are facing a lawsuit for allegedly bypassing laws and internal safety protocols, which, the families argue, played a part in the trauma endured during the massacre. This lawsuit correlates with the grim anniversary of an event where 19 children and two teachers lost their lives at the hands of a gunman.
The crux of the families' grievance, as The Texas Tribune reports, lies in the shipment of the gunman's weapon and an enhanced trigger system directly to his house, which allowed the conversion to a full or semi-automatic weapon. The gunman, not yet 18, was able to pick up the ordered AR-15 from Oasis Firearms, and then modify it with the Hell Fire trigger shipped by FedEx. He also obtained ammunition from the same source, which was used in the tragic event.
The lawsuit details allege that shipping the trigger directly to the gunman's residence was in contradiction of school zone protections, given the close proximity to Robb Elementary School. This part of their suit highlights the potential disregard for the "Shipments must not contain goods which might endanger human or animal life or any means of transportation" clause cited in UPS's conditions of carriage.
On the same distressing date, wrongful death lawsuits were concurrently filed against prominent names such as Meta, the parent company of Instagram, video game maker Activision, and the manufacturer of the firearm, Daniel Defense. Each is implicated in various ways in the events leading up to or facilitating the massacre. In response to the allegations, UPS stated, "Our hearts go out to the Uvalde victims and their families. Shipping firearms and components is highly regulated; UPS complies, and requires its customers to comply, with all applicable federal laws. The lawsuit has no merit and we will defend accordingly."