You should be careful when entrusting dangerous instruments to another individual. A wrong choice could land you with serious consequences.

In Louisiana, Charles Ford is learning this lesson the hard way. When an unnamed woman was admitted to the hospital, she gave Ford, a convicted felon, her gun to hold onto.

Ford decided to hide the gun under the seat of his truck. Days later, he noticed that the gun was missing.

Ford suspected that Shamar Elkins had stolen the gun, particularly as Elkins was one of the few people who knew of the hiding location. Upon confronting Elkins, Ford was taken aback by his abrasive attitude and let the matter drop.

That was the wrong course of action. Elkins would later use that gun to kill eight children. Elkins himself died in a confrontation with police. With the perpetrator dead, the prosecutor’s office turned its full attention to Ford. He now faces up to 15 years in federal prison for firearm possession as a felon and up to 5 years on a false statement charge.

What Is Negligent Entrustment?

This story is a striking example of negligent entrustment, at least under Pennsylvania law. Ford was wrong for letting Elkins keep the gun, and the woman may have been wrong in giving Ford the gun to begin with.

In Pennsylvania, an entrustor may be liable for entrusting an instrumentality if:

• The entrustor knew or should have known that the entrusted individual was likely to use the instrumentality in an unreasonable manner; and
• The entrusted individual was actually negligent in their actions when using the instrumentality.

When Negligence Becomes Recklessness

Negligence can rise to recklessness where there was bad motive, or where the entrustor knew or should have known of a strong possibility that harm would result from the entrustment.

A finding of recklessness may lead to additional damages being imposed on the liable defendant or defendants.

Negligent Entrustment Is Not Limited to Firearms

Negligent or reckless entrustment is not limited to guns. In fact, these cases often involve motor vehicles.

Entrusting a vehicle to a dangerous, reckless, or unqualified driver may expose you to liability if that person causes a motor vehicle collision.

The moral of the story is simple: exercise caution when lending dangerous items, vehicles, or other potentially harmful instruments to others.

Sources

1. Makenzie Boucher and Amanda Lee Myers, “Man charged with supplying gun used in Louisiana shooting,” USA Today, April 23, 2026.
2. Phillips v. Lock, 86 A.3d 906, 913 (Pa. Super. 2014).
3. Archibald v. Kemble, 971 A.2d 513, 517 (Pa. Super. 2009).