Texas sheriffs’ perceptions on firearm regulations and mass shootings

Meitl, Michele Bisaccia; Wellman, Ashley; Kinkaid, Patrick

doi:10.1177/14613557211004621

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…These results bolster prior qualitative findings suggesting that personal and local politics may be a barrier to LEO uptake of ERPOs . Other research has similarly found that conservative law enforcement personnel are less likely to support firearm regulations …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

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Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge of, Attitudes Toward, and Willingness to Use Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Pear,

De Biasi,

Charbonneau

2023

JAMA Netw Open

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ImportanceUnderstanding knowledge of, attitudes toward, and willingness to use extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws among law enforcement officers (LEOs) can inform efforts to improve implementation of this underused firearm violence prevention strategy.ObjectiveTo characterize LEOs’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and willingness to use ERPOs across a range of scenarios.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsA cross-sectional online survey, fielded from April 5 to August 30, 2021, was conducted in all 19 states and the District of Columbia with an ERPO law in 2021. A nonprobability sample of active-duty LEOs was used.ExposureBeing a LEO in a state with an ERPO law.Main Outcomes and MeasuresSurvey participants answered questions about their familiarity with and opinions on ERPO laws, as well as whether they would agree with using an ERPO in a variety of specific case scenarios. The analysis included an exploration of whether within-scenario differences, such as ERPO respondent race or gender, affected agreement by randomly assigning survey participants to 1 of 2 versions of each scenario.ResultsA total of 600 eligible individuals started the survey, and 283 survey participants were included in the analysis. The analytic sample consisted mostly of cisgender men (85.2%) and non-Hispanic White (71.4%) LEOs. Participants represented 14 states and the District of Columbia, with 53.7% living in California. Most participants (81.3%) were very or somewhat familiar with ERPO laws and 56.2% had received ERPO training. Opinions about ERPO laws were generally favorable but varied by self-identified political ideology. Across all scenarios, most participants supported using an ERPO; however, support was highest in cases involving intimate partner violence (71.4%-78.6%) and lowest in cases involving suicidality (54.2%-73.3%). Across all scenarios, LEOs with ERPO training or experience were substantially more likely to agree with using ERPOs than those without. None of the randomly assigned within-scenario differences were associated with differences in ERPO support.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this survey study of LEOs in states with ERPO laws, many officers had not received training on their use. Additionally, while conservative political ideology was associated with less favorable views of ERPOs, training and experience with ERPOs was associated with greater support for their use across a range of scenarios. These findings suggest that LEO training on ERPOs may promote their uptake and improve implementation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…13 Other research has similarly found that conservative law enforcement personnel are less likely to support firearm regulations. 24 Training may also help dispel some of the misconceptions officers seem to have about when…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge of, Attitudes Toward, and Willingness to Use Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Pear,

De Biasi,

Charbonneau

2023

JAMA Netw Open

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“…These complexities of federalism are particularly relevant in the case of gun policy, as local variations in gun use, gun violence rates, and policy preferences mean that city and county governments bear unequal consequences of gun availability in the United States. While scholars have documented conflict in the top-down use of preemption by states in firearm policy (Riverstone-Newell 2017), we know considerably less about how and why local governments and elected officials may resist state and federal firearm policies (Meitl, Wellman and Kinkaid 2021). And while ideological mismatches between governments may drive federalism and policy, much less is known about how right-wing extremism efforts might shape cooperation (or the lack thereof) between local, state, and federal governments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Gun Safety Enforcement, Sheriffs, and Right-Wing Political Extremism

Farris,

Holman

2023

Urban Affairs Review

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An increasing number of U.S. sheriffs claim that they will not enforce gun safety policies from state and federal governments in their counties. As locally elected law enforcement with a unique institutional position and significant powers, sheriffs play a key role in local policy implementation. To better understand cooperation (or the lack thereof) between levels of government, we look at these sheriffs’ contentious relationships over firearm regulation. We argue that sheriffs mobilized to resist state and federal gun safety policies through right-wing extremist efforts, tracing the involvement of sheriffs in gun policy over time. Using two surveys of sheriffs (conducted in 2012 and 2021), we show that sheriffs’ preferences against gun safety measures relate to right-wing extremist attitudes, even with controls for political and demographic factors. We demonstrate relationships between sheriffs’ right-wing extremism and an expressed reluctance to support or enforce a wide set of gun safety policies.

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“…Criminal justice research often focuses on police departments (Decker, 1979). Research on sheriff departments remains scarce in comparison, despite the significant role sheriffs have in their respective counties (Except see: Meitl et al, 2020; Meitl et al, 2021; Hancock, 2019; Woldoff et al, 2017; Thompson et al, 2011). While there are no recent studies on Texas Sheriffs views of immigration, research suggests the more conservative a jurisdiction’s citizenry, the more likely they are to support limiting undocumented immigrants into their area and more likely to support removal efforts (Saad, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From the eagle’s nest: Texas sheriffs’ views on illegal immigration

Meitl

Wellman

Kinkaid

2022

The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles

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Local elected sheriffs increasingly have responsibility to implement immigration policies, yet sheriffs are rarely studied in criminal justice. By measuring the attitudes of Texas sheriffs, we seek to understand their important views on immigration in the United States. A census was completed with Texas sheriffs in late 2019 and early 2020. Views were sought on (1) controlling unauthorized immigration, (2) pathways to citizenship, and (3) unauthorized immigration and crime. A strong return rate captured the views of 142 (56%) respondent sheriffs from both rural and urban counties. Findings indicate that a majority of Texas sheriffs see a link between authorized immigrants and crime, see a limited path to citizenship and view the primary enforcement of immigration to be a federal prerogative. Practical implications and future research are discussed.

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Texas sheriffs’ perceptions on firearm regulations and mass shootings

Cited by 4 publications

References 21 publications

Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge of, Attitudes Toward, and Willingness to Use Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge of, Attitudes Toward, and Willingness to Use Extreme Risk Protection Orders

Local Gun Safety Enforcement, Sheriffs, and Right-Wing Political Extremism

From the eagle’s nest: Texas sheriffs’ views on illegal immigration

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