Firing squads are making a comeback in the US

State lawmakers have introduced a bill that could make death by firing squad the primary method of execution in the state of Idaho.

Newsweek explains that in the current Idaho law, execution by lethal injection is the norm, but firing squad is an alternative in case the injection isn't available.

The Idaho legislature (pictured) would allocate 750,000 US dollars to build or remodel a facility for firing squad executions.

According to The New York Times, more states are considering returning to the firing squad or the electric chair due to difficulties procuring chemicals to carry lethal injections.

Newsweek explains that many pharmaceuticals are prohibiting providing their products for executions, due to the possible backlash that comes with it.

Currently, death by firing squad is only available in South Carolina, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Utah, and Idaho as alternative methods.

The New York Times writes that the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the legality of firing squads after activists presented a case against it.

The South Carolina court ruled that it could not be considered a cruel and unusual punishment, since prisoners could select it as an alternative to lethal injection or the electric chair.

Many states, including South Carolina, have opted to bring back the electric chair due to the inability to apply the legal injection, while Alabama has carried at least three executions using nitrogen gas.

According to Newsweek, Utah is the only state that has recently carried executions by firing squad: Three since 1976, the most recent being Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010.

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