Victims and parents of Uvalde school shooting sue Activision
Parents and victims of the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas are suing Activision and its parent company Microsoft.
As reported by The New York Times, dual lawsuits were filed in California and Texas last Friday, which marked the second anniversary of the shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed by an 18-year-old gunman.
Instagram and its parent company Meta were also included in the suit, in addition to gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, for their alleged role in "grooming" the teenager into becoming a shooter.
Activision was described as being "the most prolific and effective marketer of assault weapons in the United States," referring to alleged gun product placement in the Call of Duty games.
The suit claimed that within a week of the gunman downloading Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2021, he bought a gun that had been featured in the game and used in promotional material.
A spokesperson for Activision said (via CBS News): "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. Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts."
The ESA also issued a statement in which the organisation said the claims of the lawsuit were "baseless."
"We are saddened and outraged by senseless acts of violence," it said. "At the same time, we discourage baseless accusations linking these tragedies to video gameplay, which detract from efforts to focus on the root issues in question and safeguard against future tragedies.
"Many other countries have similar rates of video gameplay to the United States, yet do not see similar rates of gun violence."
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