USA 2025. The Firing Squad Returns!
Discover the history, controversies, and implications behind America’s return to the 15 years unused, old method of capital punishment
This post can be read in Tocsin Magazine, and all Medium members can read the full article here.
Introduction
After years of not using it, the USA executed a man by firing squad for the first time in 15 years. The execution took place in South Carolina and was carried out on 67-year-old Brad Sigmon, who was convicted in 2001 for the murder of the parents of his ex-girlfriend.
Sigmon chose the firing squad instead of the electric chair or lethal injection. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at 18:08 on March 7, 2025.
When Brad’s choice sparked debate in South Carolina, his attorney Gerald “Bo” King explained that the firing squad was selected because the alternative methods seemed even worse.
The execution was performed by volunteer officers. Sigmon was strapped to a chair with a target placed over his heart, and the officers fired their shots accordingly.
Currently, five US states — Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah — permit the use of firing squads under specific circumstances.
A Brief History of the Firing Squad in the USA
Firing squad executions have a long and turbulent history in the United States. The first recorded execution by firing squad dates back to 1608 in colonial America, when Captain George Kendall was shot in Jamestown, Virginia, on suspicion of plotting a rebellion with Spain. Since that time, firing squads were regularly used as punishment for treason and rebellion.
During the Civil War, both sides used firing squads to execute deserters, intending to instill fear and maintain discipline among their troops. Professor Mark Smith from the University of South Carolina has noted that firing squads were designed to shock and intimidate.
In some instances, one of the shooters was given a blank round, without the others knowing, so that each could believe he had not fired the fatal shot.
Historical records suggest that during the Civil War, at least 185 men were executed by firing squad, according to historian Christopher Q. Cutler. By the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th, Utah had emerged as the leading state in using firing squads.
At least 40 people were executed this way, including labor activist and lyricist Joe Hill in 1915, who maintained his innocence until the end.
Why the Firing Squad Was Reintroduced
Harsh scenes from firing squad executions, combined with the failures observed in hangings and electrocutions (which often led to prolonged suffering), drove states in the early 1980s to adopt lethal injection — a method then seen as more humane.
However, over time, lethal injection has proven problematic, with numerous reports of execution failures. Criminologist Deborah Denno from Fordham Law School argues that the firing squad may once again be viewed as a preferable alternative.
Its relative reliability and the limited number of reported execution failures make it an option worth reconsidering compared to the challenges of lethal injection.
Other methods, such as hanging or the electric chair, also suffered from severe complications. Hangings could lead to prolonged strangulation or even decapitation, while the high voltage used in electric chairs often resulted in severe burns and other brutal injuries.
These concerns have prompted the reintroduction of the so-called “more humane” firing squad, which is intended to be a faster and more efficient means of execution, causing death without prolonged suffering.
Conclusion
Throughout its history, the USA has continuously searched for execution methods that are seen as more humane. Each new approach has been hailed as an improvement over its predecessors, yet every method has shown its own imperfections and inhumanities.
Most modern democracies have abolished the death penalty altogether, and within the US, several states have stopped carrying out executions on the grounds that the process is degrading and cruel.
Opinions on capital punishment remain deeply divided, and while each state holds its own views on the issue, one fact is undeniable: there is no truly humane way to take a life.
The debate over the death penalty — and the methods used to carry it out — continues, with no clear resolution in sight. Ideally, society will one day move beyond the need for capital punishment rather than simply searching for better ways to end a life.
https://cryptonftworlds.blogspot.com/2025/04/what-has-trumps-liberation-day-on-april.html
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