Idaho Becomes First State to Prioritize Firing Squad Executions as Lethal Injection Falters

In a policy shift set to take effect July 1, 2026, Idaho will make the firing squad its primary method of execution, the only U.S. state to do so. Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 37 in March 2025 after the measure passed the House 58-11 and Senate 28-7, reflecting broad legislative support amid ongoing difficulties procuring lethal injection drugs.

The Idaho Department of Correction released a 36-page standard operating procedure in June 2026 detailing the process. It calls for a team of volunteer POST-certified peace officers with at least three years of experience who must demonstrate 100% accuracy firing .308-caliber rifles at a heart target from 21 feet in simulated conditions. Three shooters plus alternates will fire in unison on command; the condemned will be strapped to a chair with a target affixed over the heart and offered a sedative beforehand.

Renovations to the execution chamber at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution exceeded $1.2 million. The change follows years of lethal injection complications across states and positions Idaho uniquely among the five that still authorize firing squads (alongside Utah, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Mississippi).

Broader context includes Idaho’s expanded death penalty for certain sex crimes against children and a political emphasis on “tough on crime” measures. Critics, including death penalty opponents, have raised concerns about the method’s optics and the state’s low execution rate—only three since 1977—while supporters frame it as a reliable backup that ensures capital punishment remains viable.

The SOP emphasizes anonymity for participants, chain-of-custody protocols for firearms and casings, and separate briefings for victims’ and inmates’ families, underscoring the institutional effort to formalize a rarely used but now default procedure.