A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction and four-year prison sentence of a man whom FBI agents believed was preparing for a mass casualty attack at Fort Knox, Kentucky, ruling that his prior court-ordered psychiatric commitment justified restricting his right to possess firearms.
Alexander Miguel Laykovich was wearing body armor and carrying eight firearms when police stopped him near Stanford, Kentucky, on January 25, 2024. He told investigators he was headed to Fort Knox to discuss a security clearance matter. A subsequent FBI search uncovered another 15 guns and two boxes of explosive devices in a Wisconsin storage unit.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled Thursday, October 29, 2026, that the federal prohibition on firearm possession following certain involuntary psychiatric commitments was consistent with the Second Amendment. The judges also upheld a sentencing enhancement tied to guns purchased by Laykovich's girlfriend.
The investigation began when a sheriff's deputy spotted Laykovich's vehicle repeatedly crossing traffic lines. During the stop, officers discovered two rifles and six other firearms, along with ammunition, knives, a gasoline can, marijuana and a pill containing fentanyl. Laykovich was also wearing a body camera.
Concerned by the weapons and his stated destination, local authorities contacted the FBI, which later described the incident as an "averted mass casualty event."
Investigators discovered that Laykovich had been prohibited from possessing firearms since January 2023, when paramedics encountered him carrying a gun in a St. Louis hospital parking lot and exhibiting erratic behavior. Police were called after he made incoherent statements and gestured toward people who were not present, according to court records.
His girlfriend told an officer that Laykovich had previously expressed suicidal thoughts and had taken his hands off the steering wheel while driving, forcing her to intervene to prevent a crash.
A Missouri court subsequently ordered him hospitalized for 21 days after finding that his mental illness created a likelihood of serious harm to himself or others. The judge also prohibited him from possessing firearms.
In February 2023, a gun dealer refused to sell Laykovich a firearm because of the Missouri court order. His girlfriend later purchased eight guns that investigators found in his possession, including five recovered from his vehicle near Fort Knox. A federal judge concluded that she had bought the weapons on his behalf and increased his recommended sentencing range.
Federal prosecutors charged Laykovich with unlawful firearm possession under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4), which restrictsgun ownership by people who have been involuntarily committed to a mental institution or subjected to certain mental health findings. After a federal judge rejected his constitutional challenge, Laykovich pleaded guilty while preserving his right to appeal.
Writing for the Sixth Circuit, Judge Eric Murphy pointed to historical laws that permitted authorities to confine people found dangerous because of mental illness. The court reasoned that the same tradition supported a less restrictive measure, prohibiting firearm possession, when a judicial finding established a danger to public safety.
Missouri law also allowed Laykovich to petition for restoration of his firearm rights by demonstrating that he no longer posed such a threat. He had never pursued that process. The judges concluded that the federal prohibition could constitutionally apply in circumstances like his, defeating his challenge that the law violated the Second Amendment in all its applications.
Laykovich also challenged the sentencing enhancement tied to his girlfriend's purchases and argued that his 48-month sentence was excessive. The appeals court found sufficient evidence to support the enhancement and concluded that the district judge had appropriately considered his military service, mental health history and childhood abuse alongside the danger posed by his conduct.
