Firing Squad Execution Statistics in US 2026 | States, History, Laws & Facts

Firing Squad Execution in the US is legal in 5 states (Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah) and was used 3 times in 2025, all in South Carolina. Through September 29, 2026, the country recorded 0 firing squad executions among 29 total executions, but Idaho made the method its primary option on July 1, 2026.

Firing Squad Execution 2026 – Introduction

Firing Squad Execution in the US moved back into the national debate in 2025, when South Carolina shot 3 inmates between March and November. Before that run, the last firing squad death took place in Utah on June 18, 2010. The method stayed in the news through 2026. The Justice Department added it to federal protocols on April 24, 2026. Idaho made it the primary method on July 1, 2026. On October 5, 2026, the Pentagon said President Donald Trump approved a firing squad for Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan.

This report gathers the verified numbers behind those headlines. It covers the 5 states that allow the method, the 6 firing squad executions since 1976, the laws in each jurisdiction, and the federal and military picture. The report separates what has happened from what is only authorized. No firing squad execution has taken place in 2026, and the Hasan order has no date yet.

Interesting Facts About Firing Squad Execution in the US 2026

US EXECUTIONS PER YEAR, ALL METHODS
2023 | ████████████████████████ 24
2024 | █████████████████████████ 25
2025 | ███████████████████████████████████████████████ 47
2026 | █████████████████████████████ 29 (through Sept. 29)

Source: Death Penalty Information Center, Facts About the Death Penalty (2026); Southern Methodist University, Execution Statistics Summary (September 29, 2026); NPR and Associated Press (April 24, 2026).

The table shows a method that is rare but no longer dormant. Only 5 states permit it. Only 3 executions used it in 2025, and 0 used it in 2026 so far. The 3 2025 cases ended a gap of more than 14 years since the June 18, 2010 Utah execution. The 29 executions in 2026 and the 1,683 since 1976 show how small the firing squad share remains. Lethal injection still dominates the national count, and the firing squad has not yet appeared in a single 2026 execution.

The legal dates carry more weight than the body count right now. The April 24, 2026 federal decision gives prosecutors a new method. Idaho’s July 1, 2026 switch makes the firing squad its primary method. The death row total of 1,973 on July 1, 2026 sets the scale of cases that could fall under these rules. Not every inmate will face the method, because each jurisdiction limits who can receive it.

Firing Squad Execution in the US 2026: Executions by Method

2025 US EXECUTIONS BY METHOD
Lethal injection  | ███████████████████████████████████████ 39
Nitrogen hypoxia  | █████ 5
Firing squad      | ███ 3

Source: Death Penalty Information Center, 2025 execution records.

Lethal injection accounted for 39 of the 47 executions in 2025, or 83%. Nitrogen hypoxia followed with 5 executions, or 11%. The firing squad ranked third with 3 executions, or 6%. The total of 47 was the highest annual figure in 16 years. It nearly doubled the 25 executions recorded in 2024.

The firing squad share looks small, but it came from nowhere. The method had produced 0 executions since 2010. All 3 inmates chose it over the other options South Carolina offered. In 2026, the pattern reversed. Through late September, every execution used lethal injection, so the firing squad share for the year stands at 0%. The 3 firing squad cases from 2025 equal 60% of the 5 nitrogen hypoxia cases, which shows how close the two newer methods ran that year. Both still trail lethal injection by a wide margin.

States That Allow Firing Squad Execution in 2026 (Full List)

EXECUTIONS SINCE 1976 IN FIRING SQUAD STATES
Oklahoma       | ██████████████████████████ 132
South Carolina | ██████████ 50
Mississippi    | █████ 25
Utah           | ██ 8
Idaho          | █ 3

Source: Death Penalty Information Center, state-by-state data (2026); Southern Methodist University, Execution Statistics Summary (September 29, 2026).

Five states authorize Firing Squad Execution in the US. Idaho gives it the strongest legal footing, because it is the primary method from July 1, 2026. Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah keep it as a backup if other methods are unavailable. South Carolina lets the inmate pick it. Idaho has carried out 3 executions since 1976, Utah 8, Mississippi 25, South Carolina 50 and Oklahoma 132.

Oklahoma is the only firing squad state with executions in 2026, with 3. It has also carried out more executions than the other four states combined, which total 86. That history matters because a backup method gets used when drugs run short. Utah’s last execution was the firing squad death of 2010, so its 8 executions include the method’s modern record. South Carolina’s 50 executions since 1976 now include 3 firing squad deaths, which gives the state the newest hands-on experience with the protocol. Mississippi’s 25 executions all predate any use of the method there.

Firing Squad Executions Since 1976 in the US 2026 Record

MONTHS SINCE PREVIOUS FIRING SQUAD EXECUTION
1996 Taylor  | ███████████████████████ 228
2010 Gardner | █████████████████ 173
2025 Sigmon  | ██████████████████ 177
2025 Mahdi   | ▏ 1
2025 Bryant  | ▏ 7

Source: Death Penalty Information Center; Southern Methodist University execution records; South Carolina Department of Corrections.

The modern record holds 6 firing squad executions. Utah carried out the first 3, in 1977, 1996 and 2010. The gaps between them ran 19 years and 14 years. South Carolina then carried out the next 3 in 2025. Brad Sigmon was 67 when he died on March 7, 2025. Mikal Mahdi was 42. Stephen Bryant was 44.

The 2025 cases arrived fast. Only 35 days separated Sigmon and Mahdi, and 7 months separated Mahdi and Bryant. An autopsy reported by the Associated Press found that the bullets in the Mahdi execution did not pierce his heart. The finding fueled a legal fight over the method’s reliability. The count of 6 since 1976 is still tiny next to the 1,683 executions of all types. That works out to 0.4% of the modern total. The share will grow only if Idaho, the federal government or the military schedule cases.

Firing Squad Execution Laws by State in 2026: Timeline of Key Changes

FIRING SQUAD LAW MILESTONES
1982 | ■ Idaho adds firing squad as an option
2021 | ■ South Carolina authorizes the method
2023 | ■ Idaho restores it as a backup
2025 | ■ Idaho names it the primary method
2026 | ■■ Federal approval (Apr 24) and Idaho effective date (Jul 1)

Source: Death Penalty Information Center; Idaho legislative records; NPR and Associated Press (April 24, 2026).

Idaho drives the legal story. The state added the method in 1982, brought it back as a backup on March 20, 2023, and promoted it to primary status when Governor Brad Little signed the bill on March 12, 2025. The law took effect on July 1, 2026. South Carolina took a different path in 2021. It kept the electric chair as the default but let inmates choose a firing squad. Utah also lets inmates sentenced before May 3, 2004 pick it.

The federal step came on April 24, 2026. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced it as part of a push to speed up capital cases. Drug supply problems explain much of this trend, since states want a method that does not depend on pharmaceutical purchases.

Federal and Military Firing Squad Execution in the US 2026: Hasan Order

FEDERAL AND MILITARY CAPITAL CASES
Federal executions since 1976   | ████████████████ 16
Military death row              | ████ 4
Federal death row               | ███ 3
Military executions since 1976  | 0

Source: Pentagon statement (October 5, 2026); U.S. Department of Justice announcement (April 24, 2026); Death Penalty Information Center.

The federal government has executed 16 people since 1976. Only 3 remain on federal death row as of July 1, 2026. The military holds 4 death row inmates and has executed 0 since 1976. The last US military execution took place in 1961 by hanging, 65 years ago. The last Army firing squad dates to November 1945.

Nidal Hasan killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended a firing squad, and the president approved it on October 5, 2026. The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place. If it goes ahead, it would be the first Army firing squad since World War II. Reports say it remains unclear whether Hasan will challenge the order in federal court. The 4 military death row inmates and 3 federal death row inmates are the only people the new federal and military rules could reach directly.

Death Row Population in Firing Squad States 2026

DEATH ROW POPULATION, JULY 1, 2026
Mississippi    | ██████████████████ 35
Oklahoma       | █████████████ 26
South Carolina | █████████████ 25
Idaho          | ████ 8

Source: Death Penalty Information Center, Facts About the Death Penalty (data as of July 1, 2026).

Mississippi holds the largest death row among these four states, with 35 inmates. Oklahoma has 26, South Carolina 25 and Idaho 8. Together they hold 94 of the nation’s 1,973 death row inmates, or about 5%. Oklahoma issued 418 death sentences between 1972 and 2025. South Carolina issued 257, Mississippi 208 and Idaho 44. None of the four imposed a new death sentence in 2025, while the nation imposed 23.

Exoneration counts add context. Oklahoma has 11, Mississippi 7, South Carolina 2 and Idaho 1, against 203 nationwide. Each reversal feeds the argument that any method needs strong safeguards. For the full national picture, see this breakdown of US death penalty statistics, which tracks executions, states and key trends.

Firing Squad Execution in the US FAQ 2026

Is firing squad execution legal in the US in 2026?

Yes. 5 states allow it: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah. The federal government added it as a permitted method on April 24, 2026. Idaho is the only state where it is the primary method, effective July 1, 2026.

Which states allow firing squad execution in 2026?

Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah allow Firing Squad Execution in the US. Idaho uses it first. Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah use it as a backup. South Carolina lets the inmate choose it over the electric chair or lethal injection.

How many firing squad executions happened in 2025 and 2026?

3 happened in 2025, all in South Carolina, on March 7, April 11 and November 14. 0 have happened in 2026 through September 29, when the country had 29 executions, all by lethal injection.

When was the last firing squad execution in the US?

South Carolina carried out the latest one on November 14, 2025, when Stephen Bryant died. Before the 2025 run, the last firing squad execution was Ronnie Lee Gardner’s in Utah on June 18, 2010.

How does a firing squad execution work in 2026?

South Carolina used a team of 3 corrections department employees. Utah uses a 5-member squad, according to its corrections department. Each state sets its own room layout, restraint method and protocol. The inmate faces the team from a secured chair.

Can the military use a firing squad in 2026?

Yes. The Trump administration added firing squad as an approved method in April 2026. On October 5, 2026, the Pentagon said the president approved it for Nidal Hasan. The Secretary of the Army will set the date and place.

Can inmates choose a firing squad in 2026?

In South Carolina, yes. All 3 inmates executed by firing squad in 2025 chose it. Utah allows the choice only for inmates sentenced before May 3, 2004. In Idaho, the method is the default from July 1, 2026.

Does the death penalty lower the murder rate in 2026?

The data does not show a simple link. The FBI recorded a national murder rate of 5.0 per 100,000 residents in 2024, down from 5.7 in 2023. That drop happened in states with and without capital punishment. See the latest US murder rate trends for the full series.

Why are states bringing back the firing squad in 2026?

Drug supply is the main driver. States struggle to buy lethal injection drugs, and a firing squad needs no pharmaceutical purchase. Idaho cited that problem when it passed its 2023 and 2025 bills. The federal move on April 24, 2026 followed a push to speed up capital cases.

Is firing squad execution constitutional in 2026?

Courts have upheld the method. The US Supreme Court approved Utah’s firing squad in 1878 in Wilkerson v. Utah. Challenges continue over how it works in practice, including the autopsy findings in the 2025 Mahdi case. No court has struck it down as a category.

Which state has the most executions in 2026?

Texas leads the all-time list with 602 executions since 1977, followed by Florida with 141 and Oklahoma with 132. Oklahoma is the only firing squad state on the board for 2026, with 3 executions through late September.

How many people are on death row in the US in 2026?

1,973 people were on death row as of July 1, 2026. That includes 3 on federal death row and 4 on military death row. Idaho holds 8, Mississippi 35, Oklahoma 26 and South Carolina 25.

How many executions has the US carried out in 2026?

29 through September 29, 2026, according to the Southern Methodist University tally. That compares with 47 in 2025 and 25 in 2024. Total executions since 1976 stand at 1,683.

Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.

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