Utah House votes to abolish firing squad for condemed killers

[LiviaOlivia]

http://www.sltrib.com/update/story.asp?id=90

By PAUL FOY
The Associated Press

The Utah House of Representatives voted Monday to replace the firing squad with lethal injection for condemned killers. House representatives, however, refused to do away with the firing squad altogether, voting to keep it on the books in case lethal injection is ever ruled unconstitutional.

The measure, which passed 57-15, takes away a killer’s choice to die by firing squad, the preference of three of 10 men on Utah’s death row. It would take effect retroactively, denying the three that choice.
<snip>

The firing squad, a relic of Utah’s territorial days, drew on a purported early Mormon belief that held that justice was not done unless a murderer’s blood was shed. But when the Utah Sentencing Commission asked The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last year for its position, the church returned a terse statement saying it had ‘‘no objection’’ to abolishing the firing squad.
<snip>

Utah legislators will consider a separate measure banning executions on Sundays, Mondays or holidays to save the state from paying overtime for officers preparing for executions.

Idaho and Oklahoma retain the firing squad on their books as an option if other methods are not viable, but haven’t used it in modern history.

[bif]

1. How barbaric!

n/t

[xultar]

2. It's about eFFin Time! Jesus, and they are so religious and pure

Shootin people! Lordy you'd think we weren't an industrialized nation.

[slackmaster]

3. I thought the supposed deterrent value of the DP relied on publicity

What's the point in trying to keep quiet about it?

:shrug:

[Jacobin]

4. "Substitute Drawing and Quartering"

[Judi Lynn]

5. Oh, let's not rush into any reckless decision!

From the article:

(snip) One legislator argued that, unwanted publicity or not, Utah should keep the firing squad instead of trying to ‘‘sanitize’’ capital punishment.

‘‘I think it’s something we should make no bones about,’’ said Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper.

Rep. Scott Daniels, D-Salt Lake City, stood to argue against any form of capital punishment, saying history ultimately will see it as an abomination equal to slavery.

The firing squad, a relic of Utah’s territorial days, drew on a purported early Mormon belief that held that justice was not done unless a murderer’s blood was shed. But when the Utah Sentencing Commission asked The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last year for its position, the church returned a terse statement saying it had ‘‘no objection’’ to abolishing the firing squad.
(snip)

Yep, when you've got him dead to rights, when you've got a bonafide killer in your sights, blow his head off. That's what Jayzus would want you to do. All that palaver in the Good Book about forgiveness and mercy was obviously inserted by godless ay-thee-ists.

[rockymountaindem]

6. I don't know.

The idea of lethal injection scares me personally. There are some experts who say that the prisoner is still semi-conscious when the muscle relaxants kick in, meaning that they suffocate to death instead of just going to sleep. Speaking for myself, I think firing squad isn't that bad. It's certainly ahead of hanging in my book, and the electric chair for sure. When they get rid of the electric chair, then we can breathe easier.

Of course, when the abolish the death penalty entirely, then we can all be happy knowing that no Innocent people will die at the government's hands by mistake.

[ButterflyBlood]

7. I actually think firing squad is the most logical form of execution

I oppose the death penalty altogether, but it's the quickest and simplest way to kill someone. And one of the reasons why I wish it was more common is it brings it out into the forefront that we are killing people, methods such as lethal injection are as I see us trying to sidestep that fact and ignore what's really going on. Bring execution back into the open and make it harder to pretend what we're doing is something else, and then you won't see so much support.

[rockymountaindem]

8. That's exactly what I say.

The judicial system is supposed to be open to the public, right? So why is the only part of the system involving the taking of life the only part that we aren't allowed to see? Why does it have to happen in the middle of the night with practically no witnesses? If something is so bad that the general public couldn't handle it, then maybe we shouldn't have it at all.

[barbaraann]

9. Good link on "blood atonement" and Mormonism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Atonement

[Amager]

10. Good God, how barbaric

[DoNotRefill]

11. I don't think it's barbaric.

After all, they're not FORCING people to be shot, they're offering it as an elective option.

People who are sentenced to death in Utah have their choice of methods of execution from a short list of options. In order to be shot by a firing squad, the condemned person must affirmatively choose to be shot. As long as it's at the discretion of the condemned, I don't have a problem with it.

Why would a person choose to be shot instead of receiving a lethal injection? Who knows. As one possibility, I'd offer religious objections as a possible reason.

[LiberalTexan]

13. It IS barbaric because

the death penalty is barbaric. Just because I may choose to die by firing squad instead of lethal injection doesn't mean I LOVE the idea of being put to death by mortals among me playing God.

[DoNotRefill]

14. OK...

So it's no more barbaric than any other option of execution, right?

Then why ban it, unless you're going to ban ALL executions?

[LostInTheMaise]

12. If they must use death as a penalty

Then the one guilty of murder should die exactly as his victim(s) did.

This is the only fair punishment.

[Betty]

15. Why was the Church of Latter-day Saints

asked for their position on this? Do they not have separation of Church and State in Utah??? Well, I guess not.

[Barad Simith]

18. No. The don't have that in Utah.

I used to live there, and they most definitely do not have separation of Church and State in Utah. Never mind that Utah is part of the United States. There is no separation of Church and State there, and everyone there acknowledges that fact.

[Thor_MN]

16. Didn't Unca Dick make Utah his "home" at the last second in 2000?

Maybe they are planning on replacing the FS with something more along the lines of Unca Dick's hobbies - an exclusive members only hunt club...

[rankdog]

19. You're thinking of Wyoming..

we have enough problems here behind the Zion Curtain without having to claim that a-hole.

[gate of the sun]

17. Isin't that nice

.......how unbelievable and terrible that in this country we allowed those Utahn's to use firing squads on people. Now that they have the okey dokey from the mormon church they are going to enter the 21st century......it'a bout time.

[NickB79]

20. Why ban this particular method?

Dead is dead, no? Bullet, lethal injection, 10,000 volts, noose around the neck, they all kill you. Why is death by firing squad any more immoral than the other mentioned methods? They're all equally barbaric. I have no problem with anyone opposing the death penalty entirely; I oppose it as well (I admit, there are a few particularly brutal and horrific cases that have really really tested me though). But singling this one method out as any more barbaric than the others available is just silly.