Houston, Texas – Families of victims from a devastating school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, two years ago are taking legal action against a gun manufacturer, Instagram, and the video game company Activision for their role in marketing the weapon used in the attack. The tragic incident at Robb Elementary School left nineteen young children and two teachers dead, marking it as the deadliest school shooting in the United States in a decade.
The families are pointing to gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, Meta-owned Instagram, and Microsoft-owned Activision for allegedly promoting the AR-15-style assault rifle used in the shooting to vulnerable young boys. According to their lawyer, Josh Koskoff, the companies are being accused of wrongful death and gross negligence, claiming that they had a hand in influencing the teenage gunman who carried out the attack.
Koskoff emphasized a direct connection between the companies’ marketing tactics and the tragic events in Uvalde, citing that the gunman acquired the weapon shortly after turning 18, the legal age for purchasing long guns in Texas. The lawsuit asserts that the companies knowingly exposed the teenager to the weapon, shaping his perception of it as a solution to his problems.
While Activision expressed condolences to the families and acknowledged the tragic nature of the Uvalde shooting, Meta and Daniel Defense have yet to respond to the allegations. The lawsuit comes in the wake of a $2 million settlement reached by the Uvalde families with the Texas city, addressing what was deemed as critical failures by law enforcement in responding to the shooting.
The incident has once again put a spotlight on the prevalence of school shootings in a country where gun ownership is common and regulations on purchasing firearms are relatively lenient. The legal battle between the grieving families and the accused companies underscores the complex issues surrounding gun violence and accountability in the United States.