Firing squads making a comeback

[kenny]

So messy ... so, why?
Probably because of all the failures and difficulties of other methods, deemed "more humane".

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/04/nx-s1-5308218/south-carolina-firing-squad-execution-indoors

Penny for your thoughts.

My thoughts? ... Disgustingly messy ... but probably the best "success" rate.

Capital punishment itself is horrid, but my thoughts also are of their victims, and the families.

I don't know about South Carolina's choice to depart with convention by not not giving one of the shooters a blank.

 

[bee24]

States generally use lethal injection which is horrific for the person being executed but a paralytic is given so that the viewers do not see the person suffering, in an attempt to minimize the viewers’ trauma.

The firing squad seems to just add the potential for a lot more unnecessary trauma to the three shooters and also viewers/staff etc. The magnitude of killing someone by shooting (regardless of their crime) is so violent and surely not easily forgotten. There is also the concern of the “scene” and the state of the body (they may aim for the heart but…) which will be seen at least by shooters/cleaners and possibly the viewers? The article touched on that a bit but it would be so gruesome.
Our country has put people to death who have later been proven innocent. In the chance that happens or even just legitimate doubts are raised about their innocence… it is too heavy a burden in any DP method (IMO) but feels like it would be magnified for those involved in a firing squad.
There is a lot of tragedy in those cases, a firing squad just adds the number of people impacted.

I am biased as I am against the death penalty but those are some of my thoughts!

Now where’s my penny? Lol

 

[Karl_K]

Its just as good as any other method.
While I support the death penalty in concept, I dont trust the court system to get it right all the time.
Not far from where I live a prosecutor sent a bunch of innocent people to death row and one who was likely innocent was put to death.

A friend of mine served on a jury that reached a death verdict and the person was 100% guilty.
They were pissed when the sentence was commuted to life.
They had nightmares for years from things they saw in court.

 

[missy]

Kenny you duplicated this thread...fyi

 

[kenny]

Yeah, I noticed that when it was too late to delete it.
My bad.

 

[missy]

Yeah, I noticed that when it was too late to delete it.
My bad.

No worries just wasn’t sure you were aware

I’ll answer here too.

Firing squads are, imo, barbaric

 

[dk168]

My response in the other thread:

It has been known for manufacturers of medicinal products that were used as part of the cocktails for execution by lethal injections to refuse supply as it was against their company's ethical policy/standard/etc...

I guess the same does not apply to manufacturers of guns and bullets.

DK

I sit on the fence with regard to capital punishment for a number of reasons.

DK