(Rightallegiance.com) – Families of the victims from the Uvalde school shooting have taken legal action against Daniel Defense, the company that made the AR-15 rifle, Activision, the publisher of the “Call of Duty” video game series, and Meta, the owner of Instagram. They claim these companies played a role in promoting the gun used in the tragic event.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday, marks two years since the horrific shooting. Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old responsible for the attack, purchased the DDM4V7 rifle a week before the shooting. He killed 19 students and two teachers and injured 17 others. The lawsuit alleges that Ramos had been playing a version of the “Call of Duty” game and made several Instagram posts about weapons. Josh Koskoff, the attorney representing the families, stated, “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.”
Daniel Defense, Activision, and Meta have not commented on the lawsuit. However, Activision expressed their sympathies to the families in Uvalde, stating, “Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts.”
The lawsuit argues that the “Call of Duty” series features realistic depictions of gun violence, where the weapons are designed to closely mimic their real-life counterparts. The attorneys claim that Instagram allowed content that glorified lone gunmen and promoted the sale of these weapons to teens.
According to the lawsuit, the shooter was drawn in by aggressive marketing on Instagram. He downloaded the 2019 “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” game in November 2021 and had been playing a mobile version of the game since he was 15. After purchasing the game, he began researching firearms and browsing Daniel Defense’s website, eventually creating an account and placing the DDM4V7 rifle in his cart.
The shooter became obsessed, frequently checking how many days remained until his birthday, when he planned to buy the rifle. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions since the shooting.
This week, 19 families reached a $2 million settlement with the city of Uvalde. As part of the settlement, the families are involved in efforts to improve the Uvalde Police Department. The settlement also includes the creation of a committee to design a permanent memorial funded by the city.
Additionally, the families announced lawsuits against 92 Texas Department of Public Safety officers and named the Uvalde School District and several of its employees as defendants. They also plan to sue the federal government, noting that over 150 federal officers were present at the school during the shooting.