Indiana lawmakers consider firing squad as execution option
Indiana law currently permits executions to be carried out by lethal injection, but a proposed bill would add death by firing squad as an alternative method.
The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard public testimony on legislation that would authorize the use of a firing squad. The bill was introduced by Sen. Mike Young (R-Indianapolis), who said the proposal is not about whether capital punishment itself is lawful.
“The question here is, what do we do if we only have one option in which to carry out a legal order by the courts in the state of Indiana,” Young said.
Indiana currently uses the drug pentobarbital for executions, but the medication is costly, expires quickly, and can be hard for the state to acquire.
Several other states have already approved firing squads as an execution method. At present, Indiana has four death row inmates who have been deemed competent to be executed.
Opposition to the bill was voiced during the hearing. Zachary Stock of the Indiana Public Defender Council argued that the proposal would not address the broader expenses associated with capital punishment, which he said are driven by the legal process.
“Trading expensive drugs for inexpensive bullets is not going to meaningfully reduce the cost of execution,” Stock said.
Additional opponents included representatives from the Catholic Church and the Death Penalty Policy Project.
Samantha Bresnahan, senior policy specialist with the ACLU of Indiana, criticized the bill for what she described as insufficient transparency.
“Executions are among the most serious acts a government can undertake, yet Senate Bill 11 would allow this method to be implemented behind a veil of secrecy, blocking disclosure and preventing relevant information from being introduced and examined in court,” Bresnahan said.
The legislation also outlines how the execution would be carried out. Under the proposal, five officers would participate: four would fire rifles loaded with live ammunition, while one would fire a weapon containing a blank round. The identities of the officers would be kept confidential.
The committee is expected to consider amendments to the bill before moving forward with a vote.
