Feds Say Convicted Felon Responsible for Arming Shreveport Mass Murderer

When news broke about the horrific killings of eight children in Shreveport, Louisiana last weekend, gun control advocates were quick to point the finger at Second Amendment organizations and Louisiana’s robust protections for the Second Amendment. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for instance, declared the National Rifle Association “and their lackeys in Congress are complicit in this madness.” 

Well, now the DOJ says it’s found the man responsible for arming the killer, who was prohibited under state and federal law from legally possessing a firearm. As it turns out, it wasn’t an NRA instructor or gun store owner named by the Department of Justice. Instead, prosecutors say another convicted felon unable to legally possess a firearm owned the gun used in the mass murders. 

A man now charged in connection with the gun used in the mass killing that left eight children dead in Louisiana says he realized the weapon was missing over a month ago but failed to report it, according to a criminal complaint obtained by USA TODAY.

Federal authorities arrested and charged Charles Ford, 56, with being a felon in possession of a firearm and making false statements in connection with the gun that Elkins used to kill eight children, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday, April 21.

… The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted a trace on the gun used in the shooting, identified as a .22-caliber Mossberg 715P long rifle, according to the criminal complaint against Ford obtained by USA TODAY. ATF Special Agent Christina Curtis learned that a woman originally bought the gun on Feb. 22, 2025, and later gave it to Ford to hold onto while she was in the hospital, the complaint says.

During an interview with investigators, the complaint says that Ford denied ever having the gun and said he wasn’t allowed to have one because he was a convicted felon. During a second interview, Ford admitted to the ATF that the woman had given him the gun while she was in the hospital and that he always kept it under the seat of his truck, the complaint says.

Ford told investigators that on March 9, he noticed the gun was missing from his truck and that he suspected Elkins had stolen it because he was one of the only people who knew that’s where he kept it, the complaint says.

“Ford stated he confronted Elkins about the weapon being missing but Elkins became ‘offensive,’ so he let it go,” the complaint says.

I’m skeptical that Ford’s second story is any more truthful than his first version of events, but we’ll see what additional evidence prosecutors come up with to debunk his claims. Why would Ford accept a gun that he wasn’t allowed to possess, and why would he keep it under the seat of his truck instead of leaving it in his home, where it would be less likely to be discovered by law enforcement? 

Regardless of whether the killer stole the gun from Ford’s vehicle or purchased it in an illegal sale, the fact remains that multiple laws were broken by multiple people, in order for the murderer to illegally acquire the gun he used to commit cold-blooded murder against innocent children, and to seriously injure his wife and girlfriend as well. 

Let’s also not forget that the killer had previously been admitted to a Veterans Affairs hospital for a mental-health evaluation. Hindsight is 20/20, but it seems pretty clear now that this individual should have been confined to an institution. Why didn’t that happen? 

A “red flag” law wouldn’t have prevented this awful tragedy. Neither would a waiting period, gun ban, or any other gun control law Newsom might dream up. It is despicable for Newsom and anti-gun activists to pin the blame for the deaths of these innocent kids on the NRA, Republicans in Congress, or lawful gun owners. That strategy comes straight from the gun control lobby’s playbook, which encourages activists to exploit tragedy whenever possible, to speak out without waiting for the facts, and to point the finger at the NRA and its “reckless agenda” instead of blaming the twisted individuals who are actually responsible for their reprehensible actions.  

Editor’s Note: Grotesque gun grabbers like Gavin Newsom will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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