Parents of students killed in the Parkland, Fla., mass shooting are protesting a video game that allows players to take on the role of a school shooter, the Miami Herald reported.
“The last thing we need is a simulated training on school shootings,” said Andrew Pollack, whose 18-year-old daughter, Meadow, was killed in the shooting, told the newspaper. “Video game designers should think of the influence they hold. This really crosses the line.”
{mosads}Ryan Petty, whose 14-year-old daughter, Alaina, was killed, called for the release of the game, called “Active Shooter,” to be canceled.
“Keeping our kids safe is a real issue affecting our communities and is in no way a ‘game,'” he said.
“Active Shooter,” which is set for release on June 6, will come out four months after 17 students and faculty were killed by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Another 10 people were killed in a Santa Fe, Texas, school shooting earlier this month, which renewed calls for legislative action to reduce gun violence.
An online petition demanding the cancellation of the game’s release has attracted approximately 9,000 signatures in recent days, according to the Herald.
The game’s publisher told the newspaper that it “does not promote any sort of violence, especially any [sort] of a mass shooting.”
“Active Shooter” also includes a disclaimer warning players to “not take any of this seriously.”