Lawmakers in Idaho passed new legislation on Wednesday that, if signed into law, could make death by firing squad the state’s primary method of execution for inmates on death row.
House Bill 37 passed the state’s Senate in a 28–7 vote roughly a month after the House voted 58–11 to pass it. It will take effect on July 1, 2026, if it is signed by Gov. Brad Little.
Idaho is among five states—including Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah—that allow the use of firing squads in certain circumstances, though the method has rarely been used in recent history.
In Idaho, such executions have been allowed as a backup method since 2023 but only if lethal injection drugs cannot be obtained by authorities, according to the Death Penalty Information Center….