Idaho adopts firing squad as the primary method of execution
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) - On Wednesday, Governor Brad Little signed into law House Bill 37, adopting the firing squad as Idaho's primary method of execution.
The law will apply to executions carried out on or after July 1, 2026.
As of March 2025, nine people sit on death row in the state of Idaho, according to the Idaho Department of Correction. The nine inmates on death row include convicted murderers Chad Daybell and Thomas Creech, who the state was unable to execute due to difficulties in establishing an IV for lethal injection.
HB 37 widely passed the legislature before reaching the governor's desk, passing the Senate in a 28-7 vote and the House in a 58-11 vote. Of the 18 lawmakers who opposed the bill, only 3 were republican.
The bill was co-sponsored by Senator Doug Ricks, R-Rexburg, and Representative Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa.
Rep. Skaug has indicated that Idaho's method of firing squad execution would be "mechanized." Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) buildings will need additional remodeling for the firing squad executions to be carried out, according to Sen. Ricks. The State of Idaho has already allocated $750,000 for the remodel. Ricks told members of the Senate that the IDOC had additional funding available for any further expenses.
Idaho became one of five states to authorize firing squad executions after adopting the method in 2023. South Carolina became the first state to carry out an execution using the method in over a decade on March 7th, 2025, as the state executed convicted double murderer Brad Sigmon.
