US to allow firing squads, gas, and electrocution for federal executions

The US Department of Justice has authorized federal prisons to use firing squads, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution as execution methods, in addition to lethal injection. This directive aims to strengthen the death penalty and ensure executions can proceed even if lethal injection drugs are unavailable. The move reverses a moratorium on most federal executions previously in place. Former President Trump resumed seeking executions on his first day in office last year, and 13 federal inmates were executed during his term. The Department of Justice stated that expanding execution methods will help deter severe crimes and provide justice for victims.

The U.S. Department of Justice is reintroducing firing squads as a permitted method of execution as part of a broader effort to increase federal capital punishment. This move, announced by officials on Friday, also includes reauthorizing the use of single-drug lethal injections with pentobarbital, a method previously halted by the Biden administration due to pain concerns. The Justice Department stated these actions are intended to expedite capital punishment cases against dangerous criminals. The federal government has not previously included firing squads in its execution protocols. This comes as the Trump administration has authorized seeking death sentences against 44 defendants, while the Biden administration had significantly reduced the federal death row population.