Utah revives plan for executions by firing squad

FILE - This June 18, 2010, file photo shows the firing squad execution chamber at the Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah. Ten years after banning the use of firing squads in state executions, Utah lawmakers on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014, endorsed a proposal to resurrect the practice in order to head off problems with the lethal injection drugs. (AP Photo/Trent Nelson, Pool, File) FILE - This June 18, 2010, file photo shows the firing squad execution chamber at the Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah. Ten years after banning the use of firing squads in state executions, Utah lawmakers on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014, endorsed a proposal to resurrect the practice in order to head off problems with the lethal injection drugs. (AP Photo/Trent Nelson, Pool, File)

By Associated Press November 19, 2014 1 min read

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Some Utah lawmakers want to allow firing squads to execute prisoners again to avoid problems with lethal injection drugs.

The proposal from Republican state Rep. Paul Ray would call for a firing squad if Utah cannot obtain the drugs 30 days before a scheduled execution.

Ray says he thinks it’s the most humane way to kill someone because an inmate dies instantly.

An interim committee approved the idea Wednesday, but lawmakers must sign off in their session next year.

Utah no longer allows inmates to choose death by firing squad, but it’s still available to those who opted for it before the law changed in 2004. It was last used in 2010.