Governor signs law that makes Utah the only state with firing squad

Catherine Garcia, The Week US's avatar
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Gov. Gary Herbert
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

On Monday, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) signed a law that will allow firing squads to carry out executions if lethal injection drugs are not available. Herbert said the method is "a little bit gruesome," but allows the state to have a Plan B when it comes to executions. The bill was sponsored by Republican Rep. Paul Ray of Clearfield, who said firing squads are a more humane form of execution, The Associated Press reports. Critics believe it is too brutal and puts Utah in a bad light.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.