“Terrible”: US state of Idaho wants executions by shooting

The Idaho House of Representatives had previously approved it. It provides for the possibility of execution by firing squad if the lethal injection chemicals are not available. The text of the law is now with the governor to sign.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there have been three executions by firing squad in the United States since 1976, most recently in Utah in 2010. Only the states of Mississippi, Utah, and Oklahoma currently allow firing squads if other methods of execution are unavailable. A similar law in South Carolina was challenged and is being considered in the courts there.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 23 of the 50 states have abolished the death penalty. In U.S. states with the death penalty, lethal injection is the primary method used. Due to the lack of the necessary deadly preparations, executions have been repeatedly postponed in recent years.

There is now an alternative to carrying out the death sentence, Attorney General Raúl Labrador told the local Idaho Statesman newspaper. He was involved in the drafting of the legal text. The civil rights organization ACLU called the law “appalling”. “A firing squad is particularly cruel.” The violence of such executions leaves lasting scars on all involved. (sda/dpa)