Families of the Uvalde, Texas, shooting victims have filed lawsuits against several tech and arms companies, accusing them of "wrongful death." The lawsuits, filed on Friday in California and Texas, target companies including Meta, Activision (the publisher of the video game Call of Duty), and arms manufacturer Daniel Defense.
According to The Hill, the families allege that these companies have groomed "a generation of young men who are socially vulnerable, insecure about their masculinity, and eager to show strength and assert dominance." The complaints claim these companies are "indoctrinating a particular demographic: adolescents who are vulnerable to marketing that stokes their sense of aggrievement and desire for power."
As reported by ABC News, the California complaint states, "To put a finer point on it: Defendants are chewing up alienated teenage boys and spitting out mass shooters." It further notes the connection between this and previous school shootings, stating, "Before the Uvalde school shooter, there was the Parkland school shooter, and before him, the Sandy Hook school shooter. These were the three most deadly K-12 school shootings in American history. In each one, the shooter was between the ages of 18 and 21 years old; in each one, the shooter was a devoted player of Call of Duty; and in each one, the shooter committed their attack in tactical gear, wielding an assault rifle."
These lawsuits follow an announcement earlier this week of another suit by Uvalde families against more than 90 Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers over their response to the deadly shooting two years ago.
Josh Koskoff, an attorney for the families, stated in a press release, "There is a direct line between the conduct of these companies and the Uvalde shooting. Just 23 minutes after midnight on his 18th birthday, the Uvalde shooter bought an AR-15 made by a company with a market share of less than one percent."
In an emailed statement to The Hill, a spokesperson for Activision said, "The Uvalde shooting was horrendous and heartbreaking in every way, and we express our deepest sympathies to the families and communities who remain impacted by this senseless act of violence." The spokesperson added, "Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts."
