5 things to know about execution by firing squad in the United States
Executions are inherently controversial ways of punishing heinous crimes in the United States. The debate isn’t just over what constitutes “cruel and unusual punishment,” either. Studies estimate that at least 4% of death row inmates are likely innocent of the crime in the first place. Since 1973, at least 203 people wrongly convicted and sentenced to death have been formally exonerated and cleared. This means roughly one person has been freed from death row for every 8.3 executions carried out.
Though they vary by state, many forms of execution are still legal in the United States, either as primary or secondary methods. Lethal injection is the most common, but the electric chair, gas chamber, and even hanging are still around. There is one most closely associated with military personnel: the firing squad.
It might seem like the easiest form of execution, especially for a organization filled with trained riflemen: A prisoner, usually blindfolded or given a cigarette, stands against a brick wall or sturdy barrier and is gunned down by a handful of soldiers—at least that’s how we see it in movies, television, some dictatorships, and even the old days of U.S. military operations.
But things are a little different in the United States these days.
1. There’s No Pole
The condemned isn’t tied to a pole or placed in front of a wall, or anything else you might have seen in a movie. With an American firing squad, the condemned is strapped to a chair, blindfolded, and a target is place over the subject’s chest. Sandbags are used to catch any strays or ricochets.
This was the case with convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010. Gardner tried to escape when he was brought to court for a hearing on charges in the 1984 robbery and fatal shooting of Melvyn John Otterstrom. He killed an attorney during his escape attempt, and was convicted in the Otterstrom case later.
2. There Might Be a Blank
The popular lore says that only a few of the riflemen are given live rounds; everyone else is firing a blank. This way, the legend says, no one on the squad will be 100% sure they killed a man. The “conscience round” is real, but the ratio is heavily in favor of real rounds. When Utah executed Gardner in 2010, four of the five rifles carried live bullets and one carried a blank.
While this sounds good, there’s a catch: the recoil. A blank kicks far less than a live round, and an experienced shooter can feel the difference. And not every state cares about conscience. South Carolina uses live ammunition in all three shooters’ rifles, and it uses .308-caliber Winchester 110-grain TAP Urban rounds, which are designed to fragment. And Idaho’s new protocol skips the blank now.
3. Shooters are Given a Target
An American firing squad execution is intended to kill by destroying the prisoner’s heart. All firing squad members have to pass an accuracy test under similar conditions. In Utaa, when the condemned is brought into the execution chamber, they are strapped to a chair, and a physician either marks the location of the heart on the inmate’s jumpsuit (South Carolina) or places a target on the spot (Utah).
The squad uses .30-caliber rounds, with two rounds in their weapon, they fire from around 20-21 feet away. Three minutes after the first volley, a physician checks for vital signs. If the condemned is still clearly alive, the firing squad fires their second round. Vitals are monitored every 60 seconds for 10 minutes to ensure death.
A target doesn’t ensure a clean execution. In the 2025 South Carolina execution of Mikal Mahdi, every shot missed his heart.
4. Blindfolds Vary by State
There’s no national laws governing the use of blindfolds or hoods, but the states have their own rules on this. A hood is required by law in Utah. There, the inmate will get two minutes to speak before being hooded by the warden. In South Carolina, the firm rules are less clear, but the inmates are generally hooded. Idaho, which adopted the firing squad as a primary method in July 2026, gives prisoners the option of a mask or hood. The state also calls for a mild sedative before the inmate is moved to the execution area.
A mask or eye covering is not only for the inmate, it’s also apparently for the firing squad. According to the Crime Museum, when the condemned person was able to look into the eyes of their executioners, it diminished their anonymity. This made the event stressful for the shooters who were following orders.
5. The Firing Squad is Anonymous
In Utah, the identities of those selected for the firing squad remain secret by law. South Carolina’s 2023 shield law keeps secret the names of execution team members and what training they received. Idaho’s shooters don’t come from the prison staff. The squad is three volunteers from law enforcement agencies with certifications for firearm accuracy.
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