Com. v. Johnson, I - Criminal Appeal
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The Pennsylvania Superior Court issued a non-precedential decision affirming the judgment of sentence for Ikee Johnson, who was convicted of multiple firearm offenses, including persons not to possess a firearm,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.
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March 5, 2026 Get Citation Alerts Download PDF Add Note
Com. v. Johnson, I.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
- Citations: None known
- Docket Number: 2801 EDA 2024
- Precedential Status: Non-Precedential
Judges: Lazarus
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NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37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
- 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,
- 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-
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