Bill Expanding Execution Options Passes Mississippi House

Mississippi lawmakers are advancing a proposal to add a firing squad, electrocution, and a gas chamber as execution methods in case a court blocks the use of lethal injection drugs.

House Bill 638 passed amid some opposition and now heads to the senate for more work.

Lethal injection is Mississippi’s only execution method and the state faces lawsuits claiming the drugs it plans to use would violate constitutional prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment.
Mississippi has not executed a death row inmate since 2012.
Two other states Oklahoma and Utah have a firing squad as an option.