Idaho Moves to Firing Squad as Primary Execution Method

Idaho reinstated the death penalty in 1977 after *Gregg v. Georgia*. Lethal-injection executions occurred in 1994, 2011 and 2012; a February 2024 attempt failed after eight IV tries. The 2023 budget allocated $750,000 for chamber upgrades. Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 37 in March 2025, making the firing squad the default method from July 1 2026. Phase-two upgrades cost $910,802, pushing total expenses above $1.2 million.

KBOI IdahoNews

IDOC limits firing-squad volunteers to officers with at least three years of POST certification, no disciplinary action in the past year, and a perfect 100 % accuracy test from 21 feet. Volunteers must have no blood or legal ties to the condemned or victims. Rep. Bruce Skaug (R-Nampa), co-author of the bill, and Governor Brad Little have publicly supported the change.

KBOI IdahoNews

Idaho houses eight death-row inmates, all convicted of murder. A recent Gallup poll shows 52 % of Americans still back capital punishment, the lowest in five decades. Idaho joins Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah and South Carolina in authorizing firing squads; only six such executions have occurred nationwide since 1977, three in South Carolina in 2025, two of which were deemed botched.

KBOI IdahoNews

Rep. Skaug called the firing squad a “sure and humane” alternative, saying it is “sudden, quick and certain.” IDOC’s updated procedures detail the volunteer vetting and the retrofitted F-Block chamber. Governor Little’s signing of House Bill 37 was presented as an executive endorsement.

KBOI IdahoNews

Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, warned that firing squads are not foolproof, citing South Carolina executions where only two bullets struck and the third missed the heart. He noted rising public doubts about bias, error and the overall effectiveness of capital punishment.

KBOI IdahoNews

The article lists a $910,802 phase-two retrofit cost, while Snopes reports total expenses above $1.2 million, creating a cost discrepancy. One source calls the legislation House Bill 803, whereas the signed law is House Bill 37.

KBOI IdahoNews

• “We needed something that was sure and humane, and firing squad is humane because it is sudden, it is quick and it is certain,” — Bruce Skaug, Rep., R-Nampa

KBOI IdahoNews

• “We go through a lot of time and expense to get someone on death row and then ultimately to carry out the justice for the victims and their families,” — Bruce Skaug

KBOI IdahoNews

• “There are rising concerns about the evidence of bias and of error, the accuracy and whether the death penalty even works, keeps [people] safer,” — Robin Maher, DPIC Executive Director

KBOI IdahoNews

• “As soon as the prosecutor decides to seek death, the price tag goes up,” — Robin Maher

KBOI IdahoNews

The firing-squad protocol activates on July 1 2026. Idaho will select volunteers and schedule its first execution under the new method, while anticipating legal challenges and cost monitoring.

Snopes