Families and victims of the 2022 Uvalde school shooting have filed a lawsuit against Activision. 

As reported by the New York Times, the plaintiffs have filed dual lawsuits – one in California and another in Texas – which put the blame for the incident at the Call of Duty maker, saying that Activision is "the most prolific and effective marketer of assault weapons in the United States". 

The crux of their argument is that the Uvalde school shooter purchased a Daniel Defense MF V7 – an AR15-style rifle – on his 18th birthday after using the weapon in Call of Duty titles. 

Meta is also named in the lawsuit, which claims that the company's Instagram app "knowingly promulgates flimsy, easily circumvented rules that ostensibly prohibit firearm advertising" and that "With Instagram’s blessing and assistance, purveyors of assault weapons can inundate teens with content that promotes crime, exalts the lone gunman, exploits tropes of hypermasculinity and revenge, and directs them where to buy their Call of Duty-tested weapon of choice". 

In a statement to CBS News, an Activision spokesperson said: "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."

Meanwhile, US video games trade body the Entertainment Software Association said in its own statement: "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. Many other countries have similar rates of video gameplay to the United States, yet do not see similar rates of gun violence."