Professional Training and Public Education Can Support Extreme Risk Protection Order Utilization: A Qualitative Study...

Twenty-one states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have passed Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) laws, risk-based firearm removal policies intended to reduce firearm violence. Oregon's ERPO law, which went into effect in 2018, allows family/household members and law enforcement officers (LEOs) to petition a civil court for an order to temporarily restrict one's access to firearms if the individual is at imminent risk of harming themselves or others. To examine current knowledge and perceptions of Oregon's ERPO law, and experiences with its use, we interviewed professionals involved in ERPO implementation. We conducted 33 semi-structured interviews with 35 professionals, including LEOs, judges, representatives from district and city attorneys' offices, and prevention professionals (ie, suicide, substance abuse, and domestic violence prevention). We used rapid qualitative analysis to distil key themes from interview recordings. Interviewees indicated an overall low level of public knowledge about the ERPO law, both among professionals in their fields and among the public more broadly. To increase knowledge and support, interviewees highlighted a need for more professional training, especially for LEOs, and public education on ERPOs. Most interviewees saw ERPOs as effective tools for reducing firearm violence, but some noted a need to incorporate more trauma-informed practices and connections to services for ERPOs to be viewed as a suicide prevention tool. Professionals involved in ERPO implementation in Oregon identified a need for more professional training and public education on ERPOs. Our findings may help inform the development of this messaging and training.