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USA - Indiana. House rejects firing squad (HB 1119)
January 28, 2026: January 28, 2026 - Indiana. Indiana House narrowly rejects firing squad execution bill (HB 1119)
A bill to add the firing squad as an execution method in Indiana failed in the House on Wednesday January 28, falling 3 votes short of the required constitutional majority.
The legislation could still be brought back for another vote before Monday’s legislative deadline, however.
Bipartisan opposition to House Bill 1119 doomed the measure with a 48-47 tally. In the 100-member House, a bill must earn at least 51 votes to advance or be defeated.
Nineteen Republicans and 28 Democrats voted against the bill, which would allow the Indiana Department of Correction to choose between lethal injection and a firing squad when carrying out death sentences.
The unsuccessful vote came a day after lawmakers removed nitrogen hypoxia as an execution option. Additional amendments adopted Tuesday added mental health screening requirements for members of the execution team and revised language governing media witnesses to executions.
Bill author Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, framed the proposal as a continuation of Indiana’s legal death penalty history, although firing squads have never been legal in Indiana.
Opponents from both sides of the aisle countered that the bill raises moral and practical concerns and risks accelerating executions without fully addressing the broader debate around capital punishment.
Meanwhile, a Senate proposal authorizing firing squads (SB 11) effectively died after committee leaders declined to hold a vote to advance the measure to the full chamber.
https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2026/01/28/indiana-house-narrowly-rejects-firing-squad-execution-bill/ (Source: Indiana Capital Chronicle, 28/01/2026)
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