Death penalty in the USA: Donald Trump allows executions by shooting

Under US President Donald Trump (79), the death penalty had been reintroduced at the federal level

Washington – The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday that it will "strengthen" the federal death penalty by, among other things, allowing firing squads. Attorney General Todd Blanche (51) had previously approved the request for the death penalty against nine people. To do this, the department had to lift a moratorium on federal executions from former President Joe Biden's time in office.

A statement from the ministry said that the measures include "expanding the protocol to include other execution methods such as firing squad, as well as streamlining internal processes to speed up death penalty proceedings."

The federal death penalty applies in all 50 states and US territories, but is used comparatively rarely. Trump had resumed it during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021 after a break of almost 20 years. In five states – Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah – shootings are already permitted.

Critics, however, consider this method inhumane and error-prone. The reason: The convict is strapped to a chair with a hood over his head, while three armed law enforcement officers shoot at the convicted person through an opening in a wall. They aim at the heart that has previously been marked on his body.

13 nationwide executions under Trump

"The previous administration did not fulfill its duty to protect the American people," Blanche said. It had refused to "carry out the ultimate punishment against the most dangerous criminals – including terrorists, child murderers and cop killers. Under President Trump's leadership, the Justice Department is re-enforcing the law and standing with the victims."

Until now, nationwide executions have usually been carried out by injection

According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), a total of 16 federal executions have been carried out in the U.S. in the recent past – 13 of them in a six-month period between July 2020 and January 2021. In all cases, the execution was by lethal injection. This is now set to change.