"After purchasing his murder weapon at Vintage Firearms, Gendron continued to loyally patronize the store, and find camaraderie there," the suit alleges.
During his sentencing hearing in February, Gendron, from predominantly white Conklin, New York, a three-hour drive from Buffalo, claimed he was brainwashed by online racist propaganda, saying, "I believed what I read online and acted out of hate.
People walk near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Riley Street while attending a vigil across the street from Tops Friendly Market, May 17, 2022 in Buffalo, New York.The report contended that anonymous, largely unmoderated websites and platforms, like 4chan, allegedly influenced Gendron. It also said livestreaming platforms like Twitch were "weaponized" to publicize and encourage copycat attacks.
The case centers on whether Section 230 protects online platforms from legal liability when it comes to their recommended content. Meta said that as of Aug. 15, 2022, it identified more than 1,151 "militarized social movements" mostly associated with the far-right conspiracy group QAnon and removed about 4,200 pages, 20,800 groups, 200 events, 59,800 Facebook profiles and 8,900 Instagram accounts.
"Paul and Paula Gendron had constructive possession of all the firearms that Gendron kept at their house, whether they purchased the weapons or not," the lawsuit alleges.