California, United States

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Two years after the Uvalde school shooting, multiple state lawsuits were filed by the families of the victims in California and Texas in which they sued social media giant Meta and Activision, who are the makers of the popular video game "Call of Duty".

The families also sued Daniel Defense, who is the manufacturer of the AR-15 which was used by the teen gunman in the shooting. In the lawsuits, the families claimed that these companies played a role in promoting the gun which was used to kill students.

As per the lawsuit, the companies partnered to market the weapon to underage boys. Salvador Ramos, 18, had purchased the DDM4V7 rifle weeks before using it to kill 19 students and two teachers and injuring 17 others. 

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He had purchased the weapon months after he started playing a version of the game and also posted different things about weapons on Instagram, said attorney Josh Koskoff, who was representing the families.

Also Read: City of Uvalde to pay $2 million to families of school shooting victims

The lawsuits were filed two days after the same group, which comprised 19 families, finalised a $2 million settlement with the city of Uvalde.

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Among the two lawsuits, one was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court against both Activision and Instagram's parent company Meta. The attorney filed the second lawsuit against Daniel Defense in Uvalde District Court.

"Preying upon insecure, adolescent boys"

The lawsuits have claimed that Instagram, Activision and Daniel Defense have been "partnering…in a scheme that preys upon insecure, adolescent boys," said attorneys, in a press release.

They said that Meta and Activision "enabled and emboldened firearm manufacturers' efforts to expand the market for their weapons by granting unprecedented, direct and 24/7 access to children."

In the lawsuits, they also alleged that on his 18th birthday, the gunman purchased the AR-15 because "he was targeted and cultivated online by Instagram, Activision and Daniel Defense. This three-headed monster knowingly exposed him to the weapon, conditioned him to see it as a tool to solve his problems and trained him to use it".

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"Simultaneously, on Instagram, the shooter was being courted through explicit, aggressive marketing. In addition to hundreds of images depicting and venerating the thrill of combat, Daniel Defense used Instagram to extol the illegal, murderous use of its weapons," said the attorneys.

Meanwhile, in a statement to the New York Times, Activision said that “we express our deepest sympathies to the families” in Uvalde, but stated that “millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts.”

(With inputs from agencies)