In the old days of Arizona, executions were an everyday occurrence. Outlaws and gunslingers alike were rounded up and killed for the entertainment of the townsfolk, often by hanging or firing squads.

A cowboy sits dead at a poker table
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These days, Arizona is less inclined to kill its inmates, but when necessary, uses lethal injection/gas as their sole method.

Seems some politicians want Arizona to return to its Wild West days.

Lethal Injection Isn't Viable Anymore

In 2024, Governor Hobbs put together a team to look at the state of Lethal Injection in Arizona. Her "Death Penalty Commissioner" came back with some troubling news: Lethal Injection just isn't a viable method for execution.

The chemicals needed for a lethal injection
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For example, in 2015 the state had all their sodium thiopental (a muscle relaxant used in the procedure) seized by the FDA, as they imported the chemicals, something the U.S. does not allow. A litany of other problems were found, showing that the procedure was botched more than it was performed successfully.

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Arizona Wants to Become More Like Florida??

What's the Alternative?

Well, sometimes to go forward, you have to go back. That's exactly what former federal magistrate David Duncan thought, as he proposed the return of the firing squad. Duncan was swiftly fired by Hobbs for this proposal, but Rep. Alexander Kolodin believes it's time to open that conversation again.

A firing squad executes a man
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Supporters state that the method is the most humane, and would avoid many of the legal hang-ups that slow lethal injection executions. This seems like a barbaric proposal, to send us back to the days of cowboys and sheriffs, but much of Arizona's government is behind the proposal.

Is this a good idea, or just another way to add cruelty into our prison systems?

[Arizona Daily Star]

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