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Execution by rifle · a public recordReference · Jurisdictions
FS-2026-ID-0001
Where the rifle
is legal.
Five states allow the firing squad in 2026. One has made it the default. Four more are actively considering legislation. Every other state has either abolished capital punishment or never authorized this method.
PrimaryChoiceBackupProposedHistorical
| Jurisdiction | Status | Statutory basis / detail |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | Primary | First U.S. state to make the firing squad the primary method. Effective July 1, 2026 (HB 37). |
| Utah | Choice | Available to prisoners sentenced before May 3, 2004. Also a backup when lethal injection drugs are unavailable (2015 amendment). |
| South Carolina | Choice | Reinstated May 2021. Prisoners may elect firing squad, electric chair, or lethal injection. |
| Oklahoma | Backup | Available if both lethal injection and nitrogen hypoxia are unavailable. |
| Mississippi | Backup | Available alongside gas and electrocution as contingency methods. |
| Florida | Proposed | SB 1082 (2026 session): would authorize firing squad as an alternative on prisoner request. Status: pending committee. |
| Tennessee | Proposed | HB 1663 (2025) authorizing firing squad as backup; died in committee. Reintroduction expected 2026. |
| Arkansas | Proposed | SB 298 (2025) authorizing firing squad; failed to advance from Judiciary. |
| Louisiana | Proposed | Discussed in Governor Landry's 2026 execution-methods working group. |
| U.S. Federal | Historical | Method deferred to state of conviction under 28 U.S.C. § 3596. Federal firing squad last used at Fort Leavenworth in 1961. |
| U.S. Military | Historical | Lethal injection since 1986. Last military firing squad: Pvt. John A. Bennett, Apr 13, 1961. |
States that have abolished capital punishment since 2000
Nevada (1913)Washington (2018)Colorado (2020)Virginia (2021)New Hampshire (2019)New Mexico (2009)Illinois (2011)Connecticut (2012)Maryland (2013)Delaware (2016)