by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News June 28, 2026
Beginning on July 1, the firing squad will be Idaho’s primary method for carrying out the death penalty. July 1 also marks the date when the state will start designating child rape as a capital offense.
Currently, there are nine individuals—eight men and one woman—on Idaho’s death row.
Presently, the firing squad is the second-choice execution method in Idaho, following lethal injection.
Under the updated procedure passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Brad Little, the firing squad team will consist of volunteer members who have extensive firearms training and experience. To qualify, volunteers must hold Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification for at least three years and demonstrate 100% shooting accuracy during proficiency testing conducted under conditions similar to those in the execution chamber.
The condemned inmate is strapped to an execution chair with a target affixed over their heart. A medical team monitors their vital signs, and they are offered a sedative before the process begins.
The firing squad consists of three primary shooters and two alternates who are certified law enforcement officers. Their identities remain strictly confidential by state law.
The shooters fire simultaneously from about 10 yards away, positioned behind a protective wall with a 1-foot opening. Each rifle is loaded with a single .308 110-grain TAP round.
After a waiting period of up to two minutes, if a medical professional and the county coroner determine that vital signs persist, the director may order a second volley.
The death penalty has been enforced only three times in the state in the last 50 years.
Idaho will become the fifth state to have incorporated firing squads as an option for executing death sentences. They others are Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.
Last March, South Carolina carried out the execution of 67-year-old Brad Sigmon by firing squad. Sigmon had spent nearly 25 years on death row for brutally killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in 2001.
In April of this year, under a directive from President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice said it was bringing back the firing squad for federal executions.
Florida and Tennessee have moved forward with laws that add child rape as a capital crime.
Total News noted:
In my time, the most notorious executioner would probably be Gary Gilmore. A troubled drug addict and habitual criminal, Gilmore spent significant time behind bars before being released in April 1976 and moving to Provo, Utah. Even after getting chances to turn his life around, he quickly reverted to crime, committing two murders—one of a gas station clerk and another of a hotel manager—just a year later. Both were compliant. They lost their lives simply because Gilmore felt the urge to kill.
These were hasty crimes driven by anger, not monetary gain.
Fortunately for Gilmore, who loathed his life in prison and wanted an end, the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty only weeks before his murders after a four-year hiatus. After being convicted and sentenced to death, Gilmore gained notoriety not just for his refusal to appeal but also for specifically requesting a firing squad.
What I find fascinating is the notable artwork inspired by Gilmore.
The second season of *Saturday Night Live* had an episode featuring the charming holiday song “Let’s Kill Gary Gilmore for Christmas.” It’s quite easy to overlook how wonderful that show used to be. If you happen to have Amazon Prime, check out the clip—it’s a moment worth watching.
In a twist of fate, Gilmore almost got his Christmas wish fulfilled. He was executed by firing squad on January 17, 1977, just over three months after his sentencing.
Later, Norman Mailer chronicled Gilmore’s journey, from parole to trial, relaying the events around his execution in his Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book, *Executioner’s Song*. Tommy Lee Jones even earned an Emmy for portraying Gilmore in a television adaptation in 1982.
If you advocate for the death penalty—like I do—then perhaps firing squad execution is the most compassionate choice.
And frankly, I think child rapists deserve it.
