The South Carolina legislature just passed a bill that will allow firing squads as an alternate method of execution for death row inmates. The state senate has already passed a similar bill and it is expected to wind up on governor Henry McMaster’s desk soon.
The bill was passed in response to pharmaceutical companies refusal to provide the drugs neccessary for lethal injection to the state.
The state already authorizes the electric chair as an alternative. With the passage of this bill, the condemned prisoner will have to chose between firing squad and old sparky if the drug cocktail for lethal injection is not available.
While South Carolina used to have one of the busiest death houses in the country, the state hasn’t put a convict to death in nearly 10 years.
With this bill, South Carolina becomes the fourth state to have the option for a firing squad joining Oklahoma, Mississippi and Utah.