From Investing.com: 2024-05-24 18:40:36

Families of victims of the Uvalde school shooting in 2022 filed lawsuits against Meta, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, and gunmaker Daniel Defense, accusing them of marketing dangerous weapons to teens. The shooter, armed with a Daniel Defense rifle, killed 19 students and 2 teachers. The lawsuits target Instagram and Call of Duty’s influence on the shooter.

The Entertainment Software Association defends video games, saying many countries with high game-playing levels have less gun violence. The lawsuits claim that the shooter, influenced by Instagram and Call of Duty, fixated on a Daniel Defense rifle. The shooter, who had never fired a gun before, used the weapon to commit the deadly school shooting.

The lawsuits accuse Meta’s Instagram of providing gun manufacturers with unsupervised access to minors, while Call of Duty creates a realistic theater of violence. Daniel Defense faces accusations of targeting adolescent boys to secure customers for life. Families of some victims have already filed lawsuits against the gunmaker.

Families also filed lawsuits against over 100 state police officers for a botched emergency response. A $2 million settlement was reached with the city of Uvalde. Other suits against public agencies are still pending. CEO Marty Daniel called the lawsuits against his company “frivolous” and “politically motivated.”



Read more at Investing.com: Families of Uvalde school shooting victims sue Meta, Microsoft, gunmaker By Reuters