The Idaho Legislature passed a bill on Monday with a veto-proof majority that would allow for the use of firing squads to execute inmates who have been sentenced to death when lethal injection drugs are unavailable.

The use of firing squads will be considered as a last resort by the state if it is unable to acquire the necessary drugs for lethal injections. However, a death row inmate has already had their execution postponed multiple times due to a shortage of these drugs, the Associated Press is reporting.

Although Idaho had a firing squad option available in the past, it has never been utilized. However, this option was removed from state law in 2009 after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a commonly used method of lethal injection at that time.

The Death Penalty Information Center reports that presently only four states, namely Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, have laws that permit the use of firing squads if alternative execution methods are not available.

However, a lawsuit challenging the method has resulted in a judge putting South Carolina’s law on hold, as reported by the AP.

Written by staff