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Utah Senate advances bill to remove firing squad option for future executions
Summary
The Utah Senate advanced House Bill 180 to the third-reading calendar, deleting the firing squad as a method of execution for future cases and retaining lethal injection; supporters cited dignity and reducing media spectacle, opponents argued method choice affects deterrence.
House Bill 180, which would eliminate the firing squad as an option for future executions in Utah, was advanced to the Senate’s third-reading calendar after a lengthy floor debate on Feb. 17.
Sponsor Senator Allen told colleagues the bill is not retroactive and “simply, in future cases, eliminates the firing squad as a method for the death penalty in Utah, essentially making us, the last state to join the group of people in this country that have done that.” Allen framed the change as a way to carry out capital punishment “with dignity” and to avoid turning executions into “a media event.”
Senator Thomas, a former federal death-penalty litigator who opposed the measure, argued method matters to deterrence: “One of the primary purposes of the death penalty is deterrence,” he said, adding that making executions more public has a deterrent effect. Thomas urged the Senate to consider that argument before removing choice of method.
Allen disputed a causal link between execution method and deterrence, saying “there is no credible evidence or contemporary research that indicates that there is any direct link between the death penalty and the method of execution,” and said the bill’s intent is to modernize practice and reduce spectacle.
Other senators pressed sponsors on the rationale. Senator Evans asked whether the bill’s reference to the “civilized world” meant a comparison to Europe; Allen replied the comparison was to broad international norms and to states that have banned the firing squad. Senator Walker urged keeping debate focused on preventing Utah from becoming the site of demonstrations and “folk hero” treatment of perpetrators.
The Senate did not vote to adopt final enactment on the floor; the motion before the body was to move HB 180 to the third-reading calendar for further consideration. The measure advanced with recorded support and opposition noted on the floor.
Next steps: HB 180 will be considered on third reading where final passage would be decided and, if passed by the Senate, would return to the House or proceed per legislative schedule.
