Reference · Timeline
FS-2026-ID-0001
A short history of
shooting prisoners.
From Jamestown in 1608 to Kuna, Idaho on July 1, 2026 — the rifle has never fully left American capital punishment. It has only been made harder to see.
1608
Jamestown, VA
Capt. George Kendall executed by firing squad — the first documented shooting execution in the English colonies of North America.
1776–1783
Continental Army
General Washington authorizes firing squad executions for desertion, mutiny, and treason. The rifle enters American military law.
1861–1865
Union & Confederate
More than 250 soldiers shot for desertion across both armies. The firing squad becomes the default method of military execution.
1879
U.S. Supreme Court
Wilkerson v. Utah, 99 U.S. 130. The Court holds the firing squad does not violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
1938
Utah
John Deering permits his execution to be filmed with an electrocardiograph attached; his heart beats for 15.6 seconds after the volley.
1960
Utah
James Rodgers, executed by firing squad after requesting 'a bullet-proof vest.'
1972
U.S. Supreme Court
Furman v. Georgia halts executions nationwide. All firing squad protocols enter dormancy.
1976
U.S. Supreme Court
Gregg v. Georgia reinstates capital punishment. States begin restoring dormant methods, the firing squad among them.
1977 Jan 17
Utah State Prison
Gary Gilmore — first person executed in the United States after Furman — chooses the firing squad, waives his appeals, and dies at Point of the Mountain.
1996 Jan 26
Utah
John Albert Taylor is shot in the heart. The public backlash pushes Utah to make lethal injection its default and the firing squad a choice available only to inmates sentenced before May 3, 2004.
2004 May
Utah Legislature
Utah restricts firing squad selection to prisoners already on death row before the effective date.
2010 Jun 18
Utah
Ronnie Lee Gardner asks for the firing squad. He becomes the last person shot to death by an American state for fifteen years.
2015
Utah Legislature
Firing squad reinstated as a backup method when lethal injection drugs are unavailable.
2015
Oklahoma
Firing squad authorized as a contingency if both lethal injection and nitrogen hypoxia are unavailable.
2017
Mississippi
Firing squad authorized as a contingency method alongside gas and electrocution.
2021 May
South Carolina
Governor McMaster signs legislation reinstating the firing squad as an alternative to the electric chair after prisoners' choice. Volunteer shooters are sought from within SCDC.
2022 Dec
Idaho
The execution of Gerald Pizzuto Jr. is called off. IDOC Director Josh Tewalt informs the Board of Correction that pentobarbital cannot be obtained.
2023
Idaho Legislature
House Bill 186 authorizes the firing squad as an alternative when lethal injection is unavailable. Governor Little signs.
2024 Feb 28
Idaho Maximum Security Institution
Thomas Eugene Creech: an execution team spends nearly an hour attempting to establish an IV line. Eight punctures, no viable vein. The warden calls it off.
2024 Jan 25
Alabama
Kenneth Smith is executed by nitrogen hypoxia — the first such execution in world history. Witnesses report violent thrashing for more than four minutes.
2025 Mar 7
South Carolina
Brad Sigmon chooses the firing squad. First U.S. firing-squad execution since 2010.
2025 Mar 12
Idaho
Governor Brad Little signs House Bill 37. The firing squad becomes Idaho's primary method of execution, effective July 1, 2026.
2025 Apr 11
South Carolina
Mikal Mahdi executed by firing squad. NPR reports an autopsy indicating one of the three shooters missed the heart entirely; Mahdi may have remained conscious.
2025 Oct 23
Alabama
Anthony Boyd executed by nitrogen. Witnesses count more than 225 agonized breaths.
2025 Nov 14
South Carolina
Stephen Corey Bryant becomes the third person shot to death by South Carolina in a single year.
2026 Apr 27
Washington, D.C.
The Department of Justice releases a memo calling for expansion of the federal death penalty and 'new methods,' explicitly citing Idaho's protocol.
2026 Jul 1
Kuna, Idaho
House Bill 37 takes effect. For the first time in the history of the United States, a state's default method of execution is a rifle.