US Idaho legalizes firing squad as primary execution method

US Idaho state has made significant changes to its execution laws with a new bill signed into law, making lethal injection the backup method, while the firing squad will now be the primary execution method.

This comes after the state passed a law in 2023 allowing firing squads to be used for executions, but only when lethal injection, the state’s primary method, is unavailable, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The bill, which was signed into law recently, alters the previous framework, ensuring that lethal injection is now the secondary option. Idaho joins a small group of states that permit the use of firing squads for executions. As of now, only five states — Idaho, Utah, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Mississippi — have such laws in place, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Firing squads have been a rare form of execution in the US, with only 144 executions carried out by firing squads since the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970s, as reported by a 2016 law review article. Utah remains the only state to have executed prisoners by firing squad since the death penalty’s reinstatement, with three prisoners executed this way since 1977, the most recent occurring in 2010.

However, last week marked a significant event in South Carolina, as Brad Sigmon became the first inmate in the state to be executed by firing squad. Sigmon, who had requested the firing squad over concerns about the potential pain of lethal injection, was executed on the grounds of his preference. This marks the first execution by firing squad in the US since 2010.

Idaho’s decision to renovate its execution chamber to accommodate firing squads is expected to come at a higher cost than the previously allocated $750,000. Lawmakers suggest that any additional funding required will be sourced from the Department of Correction's existing budget, as stated by Rep. Bruce Skaug.

With this legislative change, Idaho's execution methods are evolving, underscoring the shifting landscape of capital punishment in the US.

By Vafa Guliyeva