Families of Uvalde shooting victims sue 'Call of Duty' maker and Meta

The families of the Uvalde shooting victims announced a new lawsuit on Friday, the two year anniversary of the attack at Robb Elementary School, against the creator of the "Call of Duty" video games and Meta. 

A teenage gunman shot and killed 21 people in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, including 19 children and two teachers. He was eventually shot and killed by police, but only after law enforcement officers waited more than an hour to confront him.

The lawsuit alleges that "Call of Duty" was partly responsible for the shooting because the shooter had been playing the game since he was 15, including one game that allowed him to virtually practice with a version of the rifle that he used in the shooting, according to the Associated Press.

In the case against Meta, which owns Instagram, the families claimed it did not enforce its own rules that ban the marketing of firearms to minors. 

“There is a direct line between the conduct of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” Josh Koskoff, an attorney for the families, said in a statement. “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.”

Activision Blizzard, the company that makes the "Call of Duty" games, said the shooting was “horrendous and heartbreaking in every way,” but that “millions” of people play their games without turning to violence. 

Other video game groups have also pushed back against allegations that video games contribute to mass shootings, claiming there was no research to support the theory.

“We are saddened and outraged by senseless acts of violence. 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,” the Entertainment Software Association said.

The lawsuit comes after the families settled a lawsuit against the city on Wednesday, which saw a $2 million payout. The amount of damages sought in the new lawsuit is not clear.