Republican Lawmakers in Florida Are Pushing To Expand Death Penalty Methods With Firing Squads, Lethal Gas

Only eight states across the U.S. specifically authorize the use of lethal gas to carry out executions, while only five others allow the use of firing squads (Credit: AFP)

A group of Republican lawmakers in Florida is hoping to pass legislation that would expand the state's death penalty punishments to allow the introduction of firing squads and lethal gas.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, would allow individuals on death row to be executed by "a method not deemed unconstitutional nor cruel and unusual" if the ongoing shortage of pentobarbital — the drug used for lethal injections — persists for an extended period.