"Has this been tested? Who has it helped? Who has it hurt?": Public perceptions about California's extreme risk protection order law.

ABSTRACT: Extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws in the United States temporarily suspend access to firearms by individuals judged to be at significant risk of harm to self or others. Evidence points toward preventive effects, but uptake of these laws remains lower than that which is likely needed to optimize their intended benefits on rates of firearm-related injury. To inform implementation efforts and policy refinements, we examined public awareness of and support for California's ERPO law, barriers to its use, and possible alternative approaches. Using a general population sample of adults from the California Safety and Wellbeing Survey (N = 3531), with both closed-ended and open-ended questions, we provide updated prevalence estimates and narrative insights about the policy, with subgroup an

SUBMITTER: Kravitz-Wirtz N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12585041 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature