General views of the Idaho State Capitol Building on May 23, 2021 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho is poised to allow firing squads to execute condemned inmates when the state can't get lethal-injection drugs, under a bill the Legislature passed Monday with a veto-proof majority.Firing squads will be used only if the state cannot obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections — and one death row inmate has already had his scheduled execution postponed multiple times because of drug scarcity.Idaho previously had a firing squad option on the books but has never used it.
The option was removed from state law in 2009 after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a method of lethal injection that was commonly used at the time.The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) informed Attorney General Alan Wilson Friday that they are prepared to carry out executions by firing squad as required by law, according to a news release.Only Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma and South Carolina currently have laws allowing firing squads if other execution methods are unavailable, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
A judge has put South Carolina’s law on hold until a lawsuit challenging the method is resolved.RELATED: Colorado dentist charged with murder after allegedly poisoning wifeGov.
Brad Little, a Republican, has voiced his support for the death penalty but generally does not comment on legislation before he signs or vetoes it.Sen.