The language of relevant legislation suggests that communities and society benefit from members checking the registries in order to do what is necessary at both the family and community level to be sure all citizens are safe, the goal being to provide information to citizens in order for them to take whatever preventative action they deem appropriate. The findings suggest that the information tended to be accessed by those with the most to gain from a defensive perspective: women, younger respondents, those who lived in an urban environment, and by those with children in the home. The largest predictor of checking the registry was being female. Females also had greater odds of taking preventative action than men, as did respondents with children and respondents with a high school education or less. Additionally, the odds of checking the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry were significantly greater for respondents who had access to the Internet. Those living in an urban area were more likely to access sex offender information than those in rural environments, but only females living in an urban setting were significantly likely to take some preventative measures. Last, marital status was a significant predictor for checking sex offender information, particularly for men. Married and widowed men were more likely to check the registry than single men, but they were not significantly likely to take any action as a result. Data were collected from 1,821 adult Nebraska residents aged 19 years or older who completed a survey. Tables and references