Indiana Lawmakers Consider Firing Squad for Executions

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana lawmakers are considering whether to allow execution by firing squad when lethal injection drugs are unavailable, after years of difficulty obtaining the drugs used for executions. A Senate committee heard testimony this week on a bill by Sen. Mike Young that would add firing squads as a backup option while keeping lethal injection as the primary method. Young said the proposal is meant to prevent last-minute complications after the state spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on execution drugs that expired before use. Critics raised concerns about secrecy, constitutionality, and the risk of cruel and unusual punishment, arguing the state should focus on transparency instead of expanding execution methods. Indiana currently has five inmates on death row. Lawmakers delayed a vote on the bill until next week as they consider possible changes.