A Pittsburgh defense attorney has been charged with carrying a firearm in a court facility after he failed to declare he had a loaded gun with him when he entered the Allegheny County Courthouse on Tuesday morning.
Komron Jon Maknoon, 47, of Coraopolis will receive the third-degree misdemeanor summons in the mail, said Allegheny County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus.
Mr. Maknoon entered the courthouse on the Grant Street side about 9:15 a.m. carrying a duffel bag as well as a vinyl messenger bag. He did not tell the guards working the metal detectors that he had a weapon with him, and it was revealed by the X-ray machine, Chief Deputy Kraus said.
The guards found a 9 mm Springfield XD in an outer pocket of the messenger bag that had Mr. Maknoon’s initials on it. It was loaded with 10 rounds, Chief Deputy Kraus said.
“He said he forgot it was in there,” he said. “He was very cooperative.”
Mr. Maknoon called what happened a “wake-up call.”
“I, more so than many, should understand the danger a firearm presents in the community,” Mr. Maknoon said. “I take my responsibility as a gun owner who chooses to carry for protection very seriously, as well as the laws that govern this right.
“On my way into the courthouse, I became preoccupied with my business there, and I forgot about the gun in my bag. While it is human to err, and we all make mistakes, the choice to carry lethal force required more of me.”
Chief Deputy Kraus said that it’s the sheriff’s office’s standard policy to file a charge of possession of a firearm in a court facility in any instance where no weapon is declared.
“It’s not uncommon,” he said.
The guards often come across firearms, knives and other weapons, he said. The entrance on the courthouse’s Ross Street side has lockboxes for firearms, and anyone entering on Grant Street who declares a firearm is sent to the other entrance.
The sheriff’s office took possession of Mr. Maknoon’s gun but said he could petition the court to have it returned to him.
Mr. Maknoon said the charge will not affect his law practice.
Paula Reed Ward: pward@post-gazette.com, 412-263-2620 or on Twitter @PaulaReedWard.
First Published: February 5, 2019, 5:47 p.m.
