On the second anniversary of the deadly elementary school mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the families of the victims filed two suits accusing Instagram and the video game “Call of Duty” of influencing 18-year-old Salvador Ramos to become a mass shooter.
The dual suits, filed in Texas and California, name Instagram’s parent company Meta and “Call of Duty” publisher Activision as defendants. They claim the companies “groomed” Ramos, who fatally shot 19 fourth graders and two teachers and injured 17 others, by promoting guns and gun culture.
The suits also name rifle manufacturer Daniel Defense, but claim its advertising wouldn’t have reached the teen gunman without the help of social media and video games.
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“Daniel Defense is a predator but can’t get to the prey without the help of these other third parties,” Josh Koskoff, the attorney representing the Uvalde families, told The New York Times.
In a statement, an Activision spokesperson said that while the company expresses its “deepest sympathies” to victims and their families, “Academic and scientific research continues to show that there is no causal link between video games and gun violence.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Meta and Daniel Defense for comment.
