# Death by Firing Squad - More Humane? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685 "2010-10-19T19:12:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/21 "2010-10-20T09:20:51Z")
Animals are innocent. ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/22 "2010-10-20T11:02:14Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Do U.S. firing squads use the one blank technique the British Army used so those involved in a firing squad could tell themselves they couldn’t be sure if they had killed someone? I seem to remember reading in [The Execution of Private Slovik](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Execution_of_Private_Slovik) that the rifleman in the execution squad with the blank knew he had it because the shell didn’t eject sutomatically. It also mentions that several of the shots missed Slovik’s heart, and he died slowly because of that. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Handsome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@Gus\_Handsome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Handsome)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/23 "2010-10-20T12:30:27Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Until then, you’re just livin’ on a prayer. and that’s when you realize you’re life ain’t a bed of roses. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/24 "2010-10-20T12:42:41Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Animals are innocent. Some of 'em are real bastards… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/25 "2010-10-20T12:50:38Z")
That’s because Congress opposes animal marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/26 "2010-10-20T13:48:04Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Some of 'em are real bastards… Some are bitches. Speaking for myself, firing squad would be the way to go. I see no reason why we could not get say twenty or thirty shooters. Nobody would survive that. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/27 "2010-10-20T13:53:32Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > The practice in the US began some time in the mid-eighties in, of all places, New Jersey. It seems that shooting people through the heart made it very difficult for the shooter to return to society, which had come to “blame” the person for carrying out a perfectly lawful and just act. So despite having done little more than just playing their part in society’s game, the lonely shooters found that they had given love a bad name. > [@Ludovic](#): > > But they only get executed if they’re wanted, dead or alive. > [@Declan](#): > > Well they could go out in a blaze of glory > > Declan > [@Koxinga](#): > > You live for the fight when it’s all that you’ve got > [@Alessan](#): > > Until then, you’re just livin’ on a prayer. You guys absolutely crack me up… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/28 "2010-10-20T15:12:40Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Speaking for myself, firing squad would be the way to go. I see no reason why we could not get say twenty or thirty shooters. Nobody would survive that. Ha! I’d go with just one shooter - firing a 120mm tank gun. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/29 "2010-10-20T15:27:39Z")
> [@Dereknocue67](#): > > I’ve always wondered why in our society, when we put our animals to death we seem to strive to be humane, yet when we execute a human, we seem to be animals. You really wonder about this? With animals, the goal is generally euthanasia, which is not at all about revenge or punishment. With capital punishment, the intent is to “punish” the convict by depriving him of his life. Given that punishment is the goal, and it’s being applied in the context of moral judgments against the convict, I’ll wager most folks aren’t terribly concerned if the convict suffers during the process - and there are those who are positively interested in causing suffering (revenge) during that process. If my family had been raped, strangled and then burned to death (google “connecticut home invasion”), I’d be advocating a miserable, agonizing death for the perp. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/30 "2010-10-20T15:32:36Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > With capital punishment, the intent is to “punish” the convict by depriving him of his life. Given that punishment is the goal, and it’s being applied in the context of moral judgments against the convict, I’ll wager most folks aren’t terribly concerned if the convict suffers during the process - and there are those who are positively interested in causing suffering (revenge) during that process. Whose intent, and how do you know? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/31 "2010-10-20T15:40:33Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > All three would be terrifying. > > But I can’t even imagine watching liquid go through an IV and up into my arms and then slowly drifting to sleep, knowing that that’s me dying. I’d rather be shot than injected. Gassing would be even worse. Oh, you might not need to worry about that. You might watch the liquid go through an IV and then suffer unspeakable, agonizing pain while too thoroughly paralyzed to scream, instead. Better? ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/32 "2010-10-20T18:50:47Z")
My preferred method of execution would be that illustrated in the ‘This man is about to die’ skit from Monty Python’s Meaning of Life. Less instant but more exiting. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/33 "2010-10-20T18:54:59Z")
> [@FluffyBob](#): > > My preferred method of execution would be that illustrated in the ‘This man is about to die’ skit from Monty Python’s Meaning of Life. > > Less instant but more exiting. If the revenge-lovers have their way, it would come about 30 days after the “This man needs food, badly” skit. ---
**Author:** ![StrangerThanFiction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@StrangerThanFiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangerThanFiction)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/34 "2010-10-20T21:21:04Z")
> [@FluffyBob](#): > > My preferred method of execution would be that illustrated in the ‘This man is about to die’ skit from Monty Python’s Meaning of Life. > > Less instant but more exiting. I would think that any method would be equally exiting. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/35 "2010-10-21T19:28:57Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > It seems that shooting people through the heart made it very difficult for the shooter to return to society, which had come to “blame” the person for carrying out a perfectly lawful and just act I don’t get why the firing squad has to be an actual bunch of guys with guns. Why not have a gun fired by remote control, perhaps on a timer, so that someone simply switches on the equipment and away it goes by itself. Can I patent that? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/36 "2010-10-21T20:04:34Z")
I’d prefer to be run over by a train from behind while watching TV (with headphones, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/37 "2010-10-21T23:01:48Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > I don’t get why the firing squad has to be an actual bunch of guys with guns. > > Why not have a gun fired by remote control, perhaps on a timer, so that someone simply switches on the equipment and away it goes by itself. > > Can I patent that? IIRC (no cite handy) the only man executed in Israel, Adolf Eichmann, was hanged, and the release of the trap-door was randomly assigned to one of two buttons, w/ two Mossad button pushers. Neither knew who pushed the lucky number. ---
**Author:** ![blood63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/38 "2010-10-21T23:22:46Z")
[Here](http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/kill-human-being/) is a great documentary on capital punishment for those who are interested in which type is the most humane. ---
**Author:** ![Kilmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@Kilmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilmore)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/39 "2010-10-22T07:03:38Z")
> [@blood63](#): > > [Here](http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/kill-human-being/) is a great documentary on capital punishment for those who are interested in which type is the most humane. Very enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2010, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685/40 "2010-10-22T08:46:56Z")
Many say that the reason for Utah using the firing squad was to satisfy the requirements of blood atonement, a controversial concept that there are some sins so grave that Christ’s atonement would not cover them, and the sinner must be killed but in a method where his blood actually is spilled on the ground. The modern Mormon church does not teach this, but there is no question that it was taught at times. See [this page](http://mrm.org/blood-atonement) for more information. It includes a number of quotes from various Mormon leaders, including Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. > [@](#): > > Speaking in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on February 8, 1857, Young taught: > > ``` > There are sins that men commit for which they cannot receive forgiveness in this world, or in that which is to come, and if they had their eyes open to see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to have their blood spilt upon the ground, that the smoke thereof might ascend to heaven as an offering for their sins, and the smoking incense would atone for their sins, whereas, if such is not the case, they will stick to them and remain upon them in the spirit world ... > > ``` > > Will you love your brothers or sisters likewise, when they have committed a sin that cannot be atoned for without the shedding of their blood? Will you love that man or woman well enough to shed their blood? (JOD 4:219). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-by-firing-squad-more-humane/557685.md?page=1)