USA Reinstates Execution by Firing Squad – VG

The United States Department of Justice has announced it is readopting firing squads as a method of execution in federal death penalty cases, reversing a previous moratorium and expanding execution protocols beyond lethal injection.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche authorized the move on Friday, April 24, 2026, stating that the Department of Justice is taking actions to strengthen the federal death penalty, including readopting the lethal injection protocol used during the first Trump administration and expanding it to include additional methods such as firing squads.

The decision follows the rescission of a Biden-era moratorium on federal executions, after which Blanche authorized seeking death sentences against nine individuals. The department said it is streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases under President Donald Trump’s leadership.

This development aligns with recent state-level actions, including the execution of Brad Sigmon in South Carolina on March 7, 2025, which marked the first firing squad execution in the United States since 2010. Sigmon, convicted of a 2001 double murder, chose firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair, stating in his final statement that he wished to call on fellow Christians to help end the death penalty.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Sigmon’s execution was only the fourth firing squad execution in the U.S. Since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. His attorney described the process as “horrifying and violent,” noting that Sigmon knew three bullets would shatter his bones and destroy his heart.

The Department of Justice’s announcement indicates a broader push to expand execution methods, with reports suggesting consideration of electrocution and gas asphyxiation as additional options for federal executions.

The move has drawn attention from legal and human rights observers, who note the shift comes after a nearly 20-year pause in federal executions that ended during Trump’s first term, when the government resumed carrying out death sentences after a prolonged hiatus.