Posted on 05/06/2021 8:41:46 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Death by firing squad is poised to become an execution method in South Carolina as the state faces a lack of lethal-injection drugs.
The state House passed a bill Wednesday, 66-43, approving the use of firing squads, two months after the state Senate approved the measure, 32-11.
Condemned inmates will be able to choose between electrocution or firing squad if lethal injection drugs are unavailable.
South Carolina can’t put anyone to death now because its supply of lethal-injection drugs expired and it has not been able to buy any more. Currently, inmates can choose between the electric chair and lethal injection. Since the drugs are not available, they choose injection.
The bill retains lethal injection as the primary method of execution if the state has the drugs, but requires prison officials to use the electric chair or firing squad if it doesn't. (ABC News)
Republican Gov. Henry McMaster indicated he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
The last time South Carolina executed a death row inmate was 10 years ago this week.
“Those families of victims to these capital crimes are unable to get any closure because we are caught in this limbo stage where every potential appeal has been exhausted and the legally imposed sentences cannot be carried out," said Republican Rep. Weston Newton.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
“Hanging again has its own problems. The breaking of the neck is supposed to be the manor of death, but sometimes the neck doesn’t break and then strangulation ends up being the manor of death. (I’ve also seen this multiple times on TV) Not pleasant.”
The original manner of death by hanging was strangulation. That’s why the sentence was “hang by the neck until dead,” (see also “Tyburn Jig.” The neck-break thing is relatively recent.
“See #58 on this thread “
I imaging there are plenty of gasses that will painlessly kill someone but beginning with a quick put-to-sleep would mean less of a torturous wait to the executee.
Ooh, that’s rough.
That’s very rough.
I’m not really for the sadistic approach myself.
Maybe because you said "kill" instead of "murder?"
Murder....
They are still dead.....
What's the difference? If I was in a war that where I killed people that were trying to murder me.
Problem is how to obtain these drugs - the manufacturers have all gone twitterpated as they do not want their product associated with executions.
MO has solved this problem for the time being by finding a compounding pharmacist willing to provide the drugs, but death-penalty opponents either have or have been attempting to find out who it is to shame them into refusing the state’s requests.
Introducing a new method of execution, like nitrogen asphyxiation would likely have to go through years of court hearings before it could be administered, that probably why states are going to more “old-fashioned” methods like the electric chair or firing squad.
“The Traveling Executioner” 1970, with Stacey Keach and Bud Cort.
Why should this matter. The executioner gets paid whether they pull the switch, inject the chemical compounds , pulls the door release or delivers the bullet.
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