Florida to Bring Back Firing Squads

Tallahassee, Florida – Saying it’s time to stop letting convicted killers get off that easy, a Florida state lawmaker wants to use firing squads or the electric chair for those on death row. Rep. Brad Drake filed a bill this week that would end the use of lethal injection in Florida executions. Instead, those with a death sentence would choose between electrocution or a firing squad. Drake, a Republican, said the idea came to him after having a conversation with a constituent at a Waffle House over the legal battles associated with the Sept. 28 execution of Manuel Valle. Valle’s lawyers tried to stop the execution by arguing that a new lethal drug cocktail would cause him pain and therefore constitute cruel and unusual punishment.  more