Close to the second anniversary of one of the most infamous and tragic school shootings in our nation’s history, families of the Uvalde victims are suing Meta Platforms, the owner of Instagram, and Activism Blizzard, the maker of the video game “Call of Duty.”
The families also have previously sued Daniel Defense, the maker of the AR-style rifle used in the shooting. Additionally, on Wednesday some filed a $500 million lawsuit against the police department, which failed to react in a timely manner during the shooting. They previously accepted a $2 million settlement with the city for their part in the massive failure.
The families are covering every base to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. They believe video games that allow teenagers to practice violence desensitize them to the acts in real life, the lawsuit stated:
“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.”
They also slammed Instagram and Daniel Defense for marketing the weapon used in the massacre as an exciting and aggressive tool. Instagram claims to have marketing rules that don’t allow harmful content or firearms to be marketed to children. The families claim Meta did not do enough to enforce those rules:
“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.”
The tragic event claimed the lives of 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers; 376 officers responded to the scene, but it was over an hour before they eliminated the shooter. Children made 911 calls from within the barricaded room where the shooter was along with other dead and wounded victims.
While these lawsuits draw attention to the responsibility of the companies involved, ultimately the responsibility for this tragedy rests on the ill-equipped police and their botched response. Appropriate training and accountability must be mandatory for every city and school district. This horrific failure continues to haunt all of us, as we are forced to relive the damning details again with each lawsuit.
The role of parents also must be considered. In a tense encounter between one of the victim’s parents and the mother of the shooter, the mother claimed her son had mental health issues. At first, she reprimanded the victim’s parent for judging her son. Then apologetically, she called her son a coward:
“I know my son was a coward. You think I don’t know that? I know,” she said, holding a cellphone to her ear. “You don’t think I’m carrying all that with me? You don’t think I don’t know? I know, and I’m sorry.”
While it is understood that the mother of the shooter is also hurting through this tragedy, the seemingly dismissive behavior is unsettling. Cowardice and murder are very different things. The shooter also shot and killed his grandmother before heading to the school. In times like this, it is important that we not allow culture to assign “soft terms” to black-and-white evil. We cannot allow coined phrases like “mental illness” to become blanket coverings for what has always been apparent through every generation– wicked behavior.
For the families in Uvalde, there is little comfort or closure. They have shown that they intend to hold everyone involved accountable for the massive failure. As a nation, it is time we look at our ways–and see how the cycle has been repeated and what we need to do to fix it. Security in the schools is something that a nation of our power and resources should have already figured out. What we can do as parents and leaders to contribute to change is call things like they are– good and bad, good versus evil. Sometimes you don’t need to create a gray area to make the truth easier to endure.
