Governor Brad Little has signed into law a bill making Idaho the only state to use a firing squad as its primary method of execution.
The new law, which takes effect July 1, 2026, directs the Idaho Department of Correction to develop procedures for firing squad executions. Idaho has had the method as its secondary form of execution since a 2023 law, which was passed amid difficulty in obtaining the chemicals needed for lethal injection.
Idaho is one of five states that authorize the use of a firing squad, although the other states all use another method as their primary form of execution.
