APPENDIX C

INTERVIEW GUIDE

1. How long have you worked in your current jurisdiction? Can you provide a rough sketch of your background as a police officer?
2. Can you recall the earliest moment you knew that you would go into police work? What attracted you to this line of work?
3. Is gun crime common in your jurisdiction?
   1. Is gun violence a top concern for your agency?
   2. Have you personally been the victim of gun violence?
   3. Have you ever used (whether display or discharge) your firearm in the line of duty?
4. Do you carry a gun while off-duty, and if so, why?
   1. As a member of this community, does your status as a police officer make you feel more at risk of gun crime?
5. How do you feel about citizens being able to own/carry guns?
   1. Do you feel more safe, less safe, or about the same knowing that civilians can and do own guns legally? What about carry?
   2. Do you think that current mechanisms (background checks, training requirements, required disclosure to police) are adequate? What would you change, if anything?
   3. Have you encountered cases where people were given the ability to own or carry but should not have been—either in your opinion or legally?
   4. Have you encountered cases where people have been denied the ability to own or carry but should have been given the ability—either in your opinion or legally?
6. What do you feel about Stand Your Ground laws?
   1. What is your department’s procedure for handling justifiable homicide laws? Has there been any specialized training in this regard?
   2. Can you think of a case that should have been deemed self-defense but wasn’t?
   3. Can you think of a case that should not have been deemed self-defense but was?
7. What are your feelings about personal protection orders and gun bans? Is this effective?
8. What are your procedures for seizing guns?
   1. In what cases does your department typically seize guns? What typically triggers a gun seizure? Domestic violence? Mental health issues?
9. Do you believe certain classes of guns (e.g., assault weapons) should be banned or heavily regulated?
   1. What would such a ban look like on the ground? Do you feel you have the resources to execute it? How would this differ from current strategies to get illegal guns off the street?
10. Mandatory minimum drug laws have recently come under attack—and some people are raising similar questions about mandatory minimum gun laws. What is your opinion on mandatory minimum gun laws?
    1. Are cases typically pursued on mandatory minimum gun charges?
    2. Do mandatory minimum gun laws reduce crime?
11. Would you personally prefer laws surrounding civilian gun ownership and carry to be changed in any way? Should they be more restrictive, more lenient, or just about the same?
12. Are you a member of the NRA or the Brady Campaign, or politically active regarding guns? Have you ever felt compelled to be politically involved?
13. The International Association of Police Chiefs has often spoken out in favor of gun control. However, other organizations that represent law enforcement—as well as individual police chiefs—have spoken out in favor of expanded gun rights.
    1. Which perspective better characterizes public law enforcement?
    2. To what extent do you believe that police should be involved in gun politics at all?