Death by firing squad: Cruel and unusual?
A convicted killer in Utah is scheduled to die in June. He would be the first U.S. prisoner executed by firing squad since 1996

A condemned murderer in Utah rekindled an old debate about the death penalty this month with seven quick words: "I would like the firing squad, please," Ronnie Lee Gardner told the judge who signed his death warrant. Gardner, slated to die in June, would be the first U.S. inmate to die by firing squad since 1996, and only the third since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Gardner told a cousin he prefers the method — currently used in no state but Utah — because he's been shot before. But critics say it's inhumane. Are firing squads "cruel and unusual"? (Watch an NBC report about Ronnie Lee Gardner's request)
Even Utah recognizes this as "barbaric": "Forty-nine states ban execution via firing squad," says Megha Desai in PRWatch.org. And that includes Utah, which only gave Ronnie Lee Gardner that option because his crime preceded the ban. This is a "barbaric" practice, and the fact that it's still happening in this day and age is a disgrace.
"A firing squad execution, and Utah worries about tourism?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sorry, firing squads are okay under the Constitution: The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution only prohibits punishment that is "cruel and unusual," says Michael Dodd in Examiner.com, and firing squads are neither. They've been used plenty through American history. Besides, Gardner chose it, so he has waived his right to complain the method is unconstitutional.
"Utah man to be executed by firing squad: is it legal?"
Utah lawmakers thought firing squads were embarrassing, not cruel: Utah lawmakers didn't move to eliminate the firing squad over "any discomfort with the method itself," says Jennifer Dobner in the Associated Press. They wanted to avoid having their state caricatured as a throwback to "Old West" justice, and deprive publicity-seeking killers of a way to go out in a "blaze of glory."
"Condemned Utah killer will face firing squad"
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Not there yet: The frustrations of the pocket AI
Feature Apple rushes to roll out its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features but fails to deliver on promises
By The Week US Published