Idaho just sent a loud and clear message: when it comes to justice, the state isn’t playing games. Governor Brad Little signed a bill Wednesday making Idaho the only state in America where a firing squad is the preferred execution method.
That’s right—while most of the country still debates whether lethal injection is “humane enough,” Idaho is cutting through the nonsense and bringing back a no-fail method that guarantees swift and certain justice.
The timing of this decision is no coincidence. Just last week, South Carolina executed Brad Sigmon by firing squad—the first time the method was used in the U.S. in 15 years. Sigmon, who brutally bludgeoned his ex-girlfriend’s parents to death with a baseball bat, was pronounced dead just three minutes after being shot by three trained prison employees.
Meanwhile, Idaho hasn’t been able to carry out a single execution in over a decade. Why? Botched lethal injections.
Take Thomas Eugene Creech, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in America. His execution was scheduled for last year, but state officials couldn’t even find a working IV line for the lethal injection. After an hour of failed attempts, they had to call the whole thing off.
That’s the problem with lethal injection: it’s too complicated, too unreliable, and gives criminals a last-minute way out.
Republican Rep. Bruce Skaug, who led the charge on restoring the firing squad, said enough is enough. After watching execution after execution go sideways, he pushed the state to adopt a method that actually works.
The new law makes the firing squad Idaho’s top execution method, with lethal injection only used as a backup.
This move couldn’t come at a more critical time. Idaho prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Bryan Kohberger, the accused University of Idaho killer who’s facing four first-degree murder charges in one of the most horrific mass slayings in recent memory.
Kohberger, accused of stabbing four college students to death in their sleep, could be one of the first people executed under the new law if convicted. A judge entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf, and his trial is expected to take place later this year.
With this law, Idaho isn’t just making history—it’s restoring accountability. While states like California and Oregon drag their feet on executions, Idaho is saying “justice delayed is justice denied.”
No more failed IVs. No more “we can’t find the right drugs.” No more criminals getting a painless way out.
Idaho is bringing back swift, certain, and effective justice—and it’s about time.
