On April 11, 2025, South Carolina executed Mikal Mahdi by firing squad, following Brad Sigmon's execution the month prior, the first since 2010. This revival of firing squads, chosen by inmates from execution methods, indicates a shift in capital punishment practices amid challenges with lethal injection drug availability. Idaho has made firing squads its primary execution method, joining a small group of states retaining this option. While proponents argue it enables states to continue executions, critics emphasize the gruesome nature of such methods undermines the narrative of progress in capital punishment.
It is unfathomable that, in 2025, South Carolina [or any other state] would execute one of its citizens in this bloody spectacle.
The resurrection of the firing squad serves as a vivid and troubling reminder of the brutality of state killing.
Death penalty advocates have tied capital punishment's fate to technological progress in our capacity to kill, showing adaptation and progress.
Firing squad executions may allow states to resume capital punishment but highlight the renewed scrutiny of its brutality and effectiveness.
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