Uvalde families sue Meta, video game developers and weapons manufacturers

The families of the victims of the Uvalde School shooting are suing the manufacturer of the weapon used in the attack, the producer of a video game and Instagram's parent company Meta.

In two new lawsuits, they claim the companies helped provide dangerous weapons to a generation of “socially vulnerable” young men, including the 18-year-old shooter.

In the attack on Robb Elementary School, 19 children and two teachers were killed.

Friday marked the second anniversary of the shooting at the Texas school.

The two lawsuits – filed in Texas and California – are directed against Activision, the developer of the military video game series “Call of Duty”, Daniel Defense, the weapons manufacturer known for its high-end rifles, and Meta.

The companies are accused of being responsible for “educating” a generation of young people who live out their violent fantasies from video games in the real world with easily accessible weapons of war.

The shooter, Salvador Ramos, used an AR-15 rifle in the attack.

The lawsuits allege that Meta and Activision “knowingly exposed” him to the weapon he used in Uvalde and tricked him into seeing it as a solution to his problems.

The lawsuits allege that Instagram, Activision and Daniel Defense “collaborated in a scheme to target insecure adolescent boys,” the lawyers said in a press release.

“There is a direct connection between the conduct of these companies and the shooting in Uvalde,” the statement said.

“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.”

According to charges, the shooter had been playing “Call of Duty,” a war video game, since he was 15, with a rifle similar to the one used in the shooting.

The lawsuit states that the shooter was “simultaneously” the target of “aggressive marketing” by Daniel Defense, which targeted the teenager with ads on Instagram.

“Instagram creates a connection between … a young person … and the gun and a gun manufacturer,” Josh Koskoff, the plaintiffs' attorney, told the BBC's US media partner, CBS, on Friday.

“And no one has exploited Instagram more for this purpose than Daniel Defense.”

An Activision spokesperson told CBS that the “shooting in Uvalde was horrific and heartbreaking in every way,” adding that the company extends its “deepest condolences” to the victims and their families.

“Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without committing cruel acts,” the spokesman said.

The BBC has contacted Meta, Daniel Defense and Activision for comment.

Daniel Defense, which faces further lawsuits from the families of some of the victims, said in a statement in 2022 that such litigation was “frivolous” and “politically motivated.”

On Wednesday, the victims' families reached a $2 million (£1.5 million) settlement with the city of Uvalde.

More than 370 officers from various local, state and federal agencies were at Robb Elementary School during the attack.

It took police more than an hour to stop the shooter, who had barricaded himself in adjacent classrooms.

In addition, the families announced they would file new legal action against 92 individual state Department of Public Safety officials for “shocking and serious failures” in responding to the shooting.

With files from Peter Bowes