Negligent Sale & Entrustment

Tri-State Gun Negligence Attorneys 

Anyone who owns or sells a gun needs to follow the law strictly and use common sense when deciding who can purchase or lend from them. If an illegal or negligent sale of a firearm leads to someone being injured, then the gun shop could be held accountable. The same can be said of a gun owner who negligently entrusts their weapon to a dangerous person, who goes on to hurt someone else.

At Burnside Brankamp Law, our personal injury lawyers in Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia take gun negligence cases seriously. If you or a loved one have been shot by a weapon sold, lent, or otherwise obtained through negligence, let us know the key details during a free initial case review. We can act as your legal advocates from start to finish, allowing you to rest and recuperate from a tragic event.

Contact us today for more details about our services. We accept cases in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Determining Liability in Gun Negligence Cases

When someone is shot by a firearm or otherwise injured by a gun, the person who pulled the trigger will likely assume the majority of the liability for the injured party’s damages. They might not be the only liable party in the case, though. Gun shops and gun owners can assume some liability if they knowingly sell or give a firearm to someone who should not have one.

It can be found as negligence to give a firearm to:

• Felony convicts
• People who have had their gun rights revoked
• People with violent crime convictions
• People accused of domestic violence
• People with a mental health issue
• People with no firearm handling training
• Children or minors

Gun shops need to be careful to only sell to people who are legally allowed to make such a purchase. They must also be aware of straw purchases, which involves selling a gun to someone who can buy the firearm, only for that person to turn around and give it to someone with legal prohibitions on their gun ownership rights. The same responsibilities belong to all gun owners, who need to pay attention to whom they entrust their weapons. Negligent entrustment occurs whenever a gun is given to a dangerous individual likely to cause harm with the weapon, whether or not it is a temporary or permanent exchange of ownership.