The study population included 159 probation officers who attended inservice training during the early part of 1990 as a statewide training academy. Overall, 59 percent of the officers were male and 41 percent were females; 61 percent were white, 21 percent were Hispanic, and 16 percent were black. Separate scales were constructed to evaluate casework, resource brokerage, and law enforcement orientations. Questions were also devised to elicit officer opinions about firearms. Probation officers expressed the most agreement with the resource broker scale followed closely by the casework scale. The least support was demonstrated for the law enforcement scale. These results suggested greater support for helping offenders on probation than for merely attempting to control offender behavior. Those who supported the optional arming of probation officers were more likely to have a law enforcement work orientation. Probation officers did not differ in their opinions on carrying firearms by work assignment (juvenile versus adult probation), caseload size, gender, race, military background, reason they obtained employment in probation, or career goals. Eighty percent of the officers indicated they would comply if required to carry a firearm. Findings seemed to suggest a professional tolerance, if not a personal acceptance of, firearms. 31 references, 6 notes, and 2 tables