Families of students killed in the May 24, 2022, Uvalde school shooting filed numerous wrongful death lawsuits Friday in Texas and California, targeting AR-15 maker Daniel Defense, Meta Platforms, and Activision — the maker of the “Call of Duty” video game.
Meta is the parent company of Instagram.
CBS News reported that the “lawsuits were filed by attorney Josh Koskoff.”
Koskoff is the attorney who successfully sued Remington after a stolen rifle, manufactured by the Remington family of firearms, was used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack.
The Associated Press (AP) quoted Koskoff commenting on the Uvalde lawsuits, pointing to Daniel Defense, Meta, and Activision, saying, “There is a direct line between the conduct of these companies and the Uvalde shooting…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.”
The AP article noted:
According to the lawsuits, the Uvalde shooter had played versions of Call of Duty since he was 15, including one that allowed him to effectively practice with the version of the rifle he used at the school. The families also accused Instagram of doing little to enforce its rules that ban marketing firearms and harmful content to children.
The Uvalde shooter opened an online account with Daniel Defense before his 18th birthday and purchased the rifle as soon as he could, according to the lawsuit.
“Simultaneously, on Instagram, the shooter was being courted through explicit, aggressive marketing. In addition to hundreds of images depicting and venerating the thrill of combat, Daniel Defense used Instagram to extol the illegal, murderous use of its weapons,” the families’ attorneys said in a statement.
A $500 million lawsuit was also filed Wednesday against certain departments of Texas law enforcement over their response to the shooting, particularly law enforcement’s alleged delay in confronting the shooter to end the attack.
WATCH: Disturbing Footage Shows Botched Uvalde Police Response — Shock: Waited 77 Minutes
Robb Elementary School / Austin American-StatesmanAWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a pro-staffer for Pulsar Night Vision, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.