Sixth Circuit Upholds Federal Gun Ban Tied to Mental-Health Commitment

The Sixth Circuit just handed federal prosecutors a win on one of the gun ban provisions gun owners most often forget exists until it's used against them: the lifetime prohibition tied to certain mental-health adjudications.

Key points

• The ruling: A three-judge panel upheld 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4), finding it doesn't violate the Second Amendment, in a case covering Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.
• The reasoning: Judge Eric E. Murphy compared the ban to historical laws letting authorities detain people whose mental illness made them dangerous, calling it "relevantly similar" since it serves the same public-safety goal.
• The defendant: Alexander Miguel Laykovich was involuntarily committed by a Missouri court in 2023, then stopped in Kentucky in 2024 with eight firearms, body armor, and other gear while allegedly headed toward Fort Knox. Additional firearms and explosive devices turned up in a Wisconsin storage unit.
• The outcome: A district court sentenced him to four years for violating the statute; the Sixth Circuit affirmed that decision on appeal.
• The scope: The court sided with the government despite acknowledging concerns about discretion in labeling someone "dangerous," noting Laykovich didn't dispute he fit that category.

Quick take

This isn't about red-flag laws or state court orders — it's a federal appellate court backing the mental-health prohibitor that's been part of the Gun Control Act for decades. If you've ever been involuntarily committed or adjudicated a danger to yourself or others, this ruling is a reminder that the federal ban tied to that history is still standing, and courts are willing to lean on old civil-commitment law to justify it.

Read the full story: thereload.com