GettyThe family of a Uvalde school shooting victim is suing the maker of the gun used in the attack, a video game maker and Instagram parent company Meta.
In two new lawsuits, they claim the companies helped market dangerous weapons to a generation of “socially disadvantaged” young people, including the 18-year-old gunman.
Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the attack at Robe Primary School.
Friday marks the second anniversary of the Texas school shooting.
The two lawsuits were filed in Texas and California respectively, targeting Activision Blizzard, the developer of the military video game series “Call of Duty”. Daniel Defense, a gun manufacturer known for its high-end rifles; and Yuan.
These companies have been accused of being responsible for “cultivating” a generation of young people who live out violent video game fantasies in the real world with readily available weapons of war.
The gunman, Salvador Ramos, used an AR-15 rifle in the attack.
The lawsuit alleges that Meta and Activision “intentionally gave” him access to the gun he used in Uvalde and made him see it as a solution to his problem.
The lawsuit alleges that Instagram, Activision and Daniel Defense have been “collaborating… to implement a program targeting insecure adolescent boys,” attorneys said in a press release.
“The actions of these companies are directly related to the Uvalde shooting,” the statement said.
“The three-headed monster deliberately exposed him to the weapon, made him see it as a problem-solving tool, and trained him to use it.”
The lawsuit says the gunman had been playing Call of Duty, a war-based video game, since he was 15 years old and used a rifle similar to the one used in the shooting.
The lawsuit alleges that the shooter “concurrently” was the subject of “aggressive marketing” by Daniel Defense, which targeted the teen with ads on Instagram.
“Instagram creates a connection between … teenagers … and guns and gun companies,” plaintiffs’ lawyer Josh Koskoff told BBC US media partner CBS on Friday.
“No one uses Instagram to do this better than Daniel Defense.”
An Activision Blizzard spokesperson told CBS that “the Uvalde shooting was horrific and heartbreaking in every way,” adding that the company offered its “deepest sympathies” to the victims and their families.
“There are millions of people around the world who enjoy video games without committing horrific acts,” the spokesman said.
The BBC has contacted Meta, Daniel Defense and Activision Blizzard for comment.
Daniel Defense is facing other lawsuits from some of the victims’ families, which the company said in a 2022 statement called such lawsuits “frivolous” and “politically motivated.”
The victims’ families reached a $2m (£1.5m) settlement with the city of Uvalde on Wednesday.
More than 370 police officers from local, state and federal departments were at Robe Elementary School during the attack.
It took police more than an hour to stop the gunman, who was trapped in an adjoining classroom.
In addition, the families of these victims also announced that they will take new legal action against 92 officers of the state’s Department of Public Safety, citing their “shocking and widespread failures” in responding to the shootings.
Files from Peter Bowes
