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Com. v. Johnson, I - Criminal Appeal

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Filed March 5th, 2026
Detected March 5th, 2026
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Summary

The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the judgment of sentence for Ikee Johnson, who was convicted of firearm offenses. The appeal challenged the constitutionality of the firearm possession statute. The court's decision upholds the prior conviction and sentence.

What changed

The Pennsylvania Superior Court issued a non-precedential decision affirming the judgment of sentence for Ikee Johnson, who was convicted of multiple firearm offenses, including persons not to possess a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, and carrying a firearm on public streets in Philadelphia without a license. The appeal stemmed from Johnson's prior conviction for possession with intent to distribute, which prohibited him from possessing a firearm under 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 6105. Johnson's motion for judgment of acquittal, arguing the statute was unconstitutional, was denied by the trial court and subsequently affirmed by the Superior Court.

This decision has limited precedential value but confirms the application of Pennsylvania's firearm possession laws in cases involving prior convictions. For legal professionals and criminal defendants, this case underscores the importance of understanding and adhering to firearm restrictions for individuals with specific prior convictions. While no new compliance actions are mandated by this specific ruling, it reinforces existing legal obligations and the potential consequences of non-compliance, including affirmed sentences.

Source document (simplified)

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Top Caption [Combined Opinion

                  by Lazarus](https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10804404/com-v-johnson-i/about:blank#o1)

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March 5, 2026 Get Citation Alerts Download PDF Add Note

Com. v. Johnson, I.

Superior Court of Pennsylvania

Combined Opinion

                        by [Anne E. Lazarus](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8236/anne-e-lazarus/)

J-A30004-25

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
:
v. :
:
:
IKEE JOHNSON :
:
Appellant : No. 2801 EDA 2024

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered August 20, 2024
In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Criminal Division at
No(s): CP-51-CR-0007766-2022

BEFORE: LAZARUS, P.J., PANELLA, P.J.E., and SULLIVAN, J.

JUDGMENT ORDER BY LAZARUS, P.J.: FILED MARCH 5, 2026

Ikee Johnson appeals from the judgment of sentence, entered in the

Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, following his convictions for

persons not to possess a firearm,1 carrying a firearm without a license,2 and

carrying a firearm on public streets in Philadelphia without a license. 3 After

review, we affirm.

Johnson was arrested and charged with the above offenses after he gave

consent to a police officer to search his bag, wherein the officer found, inter

alia, a “loaded, nine-millimeter handgun[.]” Trial Court Opinion, 1/13/25, at

  1. As Johnson had previously been convicted of possession with intent to ____________________________________________

1 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 6105(a)(1).

2 Id. at § 6106(a)(1).

3 Id. at § 6108.
J-A30004-25

distribute,4 he was subject to subsection 6105(a)’s prohibition of possession

of a firearm by individuals with certain prior convictions. On February 20,

2024, the trial court found Johnson guilty of the above-mentioned firearm

offenses after a stipulated bench trial.

On May 1, 2024, prior to sentencing, Johnson filed a motion for

judgment of acquittal on the persons not to possess charge. In the motion,

Johnson averred that the trial court should enter a judgment of acquittal or

otherwise dismiss the persons not to possess charge because section 6105

was unconstitutional, both facially and as applied, under the Second and

Fourteenth Amendments. See Motion for Judgment of Acquittal, 5/1/24, at

1-5.

On August 20, 2024, without having ruled on Johnson’s motion for

judgment of acquittal, the trial court sentenced Johnson to concurrent

sentences of 11½ to 23 months of house arrest for carrying a firearm without

a license, six years of probation for prohibited possession of a firearm, and

five years of probation for carrying a firearm in Philadelphia without a license.

On August 29, 2024, Johnson filed a post-sentence motion requesting a ruling

on his May 1, 2024 motion for judgment of acquittal. The trial court denied

the May 1, 2024 motion for judgment of acquittal on September 25, 2024.


4 35 P.S. § 780-113(a)(30).

-2-
J-A30004-25

Johnson timely5 appealed from his judgment of sentence on October 10,

  1. Both Johnson and the trial court have complied with Pa.R.A.P. 1925.

Johnson raises one issue for our review: “Should the conviction [under

section] 6105 be vacated because the statute as applied to [Johnson]’s prior

conviction for possession with intent to deliver, a non-violent offense, violates

the Second and Fourteenth Amendments?” Appellant’s Brief, at 2.

We need not address Johnson’s claim in depth, as this Court’s recent

decision in Commonwealth v. Randolph, 343 A.3d 1248 (Pa. Super. 2025),

is dispositive. In Randolph, we addressed a constitutional challenge to

subsection 6105(a), wherein the petitioner argued that there was no historical

tradition supporting a regulation that prohibited individuals with prior non-

violent convictions from possessing a firearm. Id. at 1256–57. Applying the

test set forth in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. Bruen, 597 U.S.

1 (2022),6 we concluded that the challenged regulation was “consistent with

the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation[,]” and, thus,

constitutional under the Second Amendment. Randolph, 343 A.3d at 1258.


5 See Pa.R.Crim.P. 720(A)(2)(b) (notice of appeal must be filed within thirty

days of entry of order denying post-sentence motion).

6 In Bruen, the United States Supreme Court set forth the analysis for
determining whether a challenged regulation runs afoul of the Second
Amendment, which requires determining whether the regulation “is consistent
with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” Id. at 24.

-3-
J-A30004-25

Because we previously considered and rejected in Randolph the

arguments Johnson now raises, he is entitled to no relief. 7 Accordingly, we

affirm.

Judgment of sentence affirmed.

Date: 3/5/2026


7 See Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 340 A.3d 977, 983 (Pa. Super. 2025)

(three-judge panel of Superior Court is bound by its previous precedential
decisions).

-4-

Source

Analysis generated by AI. Source diff and links are from the original.

Classification

Agency
Federal and State Courts
Filed
March 5th, 2026
Instrument
Enforcement
Legal weight
Binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Minor

Who this affects

Applies to
Courts Criminal defendants Legal professionals
Geographic scope
National (US)

Taxonomy

Primary area
Criminal Justice
Operational domain
Legal
Topics
Firearms Law Constitutional Law

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