Idaho House widely passes bill to make firing squad main execution method

The Idaho House on Thursday widely approved a bill to make death by firing squad the main death penalty method in Idaho.

If passed into law, Idaho could become the only state to have death by firing squad as the primary death penalty method.

Only five states allow firing squads for executions. But the firing squad isn’t the primary death penalty method in any of those states, a spokesperson for the Death Penalty Information Center told the Idaho Capital Sun.

After less than 10 minutes of debate, the Idaho House approved House Bill 37 on a 58-11 vote Thursday.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, sponsored the bill, which is co-sponsored by 16 Idaho Republican House lawmakers.

On the House floor, Skaug said he believes death by firing squad is a more humane execution method because it is “quick” and “certain.”

Compared to lethal injection, Idaho’s current main execution method, Skaug says death by firing squad would reduce legal appeal issues and failed execution attempts.

All nine House Democrats opposed the bill, along with two Republican House lawmakers: Rep. Lori McCann, from Lewiston, and a substitute legislator for Rep. Josh Wheeler, from Ammon.

“I do not believe the firing squad to be more humane than a lethal injection if that is available,” McCann told the Sun in an email after the vote.

She said she supported a bill allowing Idaho to use the firing squad in executions as an alternate method, because Idaho’s primary method then — lethal injection — “was not available to the State of Idaho.”

Idaho House Majority Caucus Chair Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, was absent for Thursday’s vote.

The bill now heads to the Idaho Senate. To become law, bills must pass the Idaho House and Senate and avoid the governor’s veto.