Death by firing squad could become Idaho’s primary method of execution under a bill headed to the governor’s desk this week.

Only five states allow firing squads for executions. But the firing squad isn’t the primary death penalty method in any of those states.

The last time such an execution took place was 15 years ago, in Utah. The South Carolina inmate chose the method because of his concerns about lethal injection, his lawyer said.

Idaho is looking to renovate its death row to accommodate firing squad executions, but contractors are shying away from helping build the facility, Michelle Del Rey writes

An Idaho State Police vehicle exits the entrance to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution near Kuna, Idaho on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. The firing squad is steps away from becoming Idaho’s primary execution method.

Idaho's legislature has sent a bill to Governor Brad Little's desk that could make firing squads the primary method of execution in the state.

A year ago, the state of Idaho failed to execute a prisoner for the very first time. Senate lawmakers responded at the Capitol on Wednesday by using their heavy Republican majority to pass a change in law to sideline lethal injections in favor of death by firing squad.

A bill that would make the firing squad Idaho's primary form of execution has passed the Senate.The firing squad is already a legal form of execution in Idaho,