[captain-03]

Utah to execute condemned killer by firing squad--

What type weapon do they use? All I have been able to learn is that it is a 30cal. -- M14s? 5 rifleman with one loaded with a blank ... 4 fullhouse rounds ... tape a target over his heart ...

 

[Doug Bowser]

I never understood why they loaded a blank ctg in one rifle. There is no recoil from a blank cartridge and the shooter would know what rifle had the blank loaded in it.

Doug

 

[kowen1971]

IMHO, if he has done something that merits the death penalty, then all the gun should have live rounds. Ya know, in case of a ftf or something. Of course its my opinion that public hangings should be reinstated as a means of carrying out death sentencing. Ropes much cheaper than electricity and intravenous drugs. Not to mention visual aids make for better deterrents.

 

[jbpmidas]

The blank is for deniability. Any one of the men on the firing squad can go home and say "I had the blank." If it helps a man to sleep at night, I'm all for it.

 

[savageshooter]

but, you missed the important part, the rope is reusable. they say the chair is not a deturant, i beg to differ. if you know you are gonna fry or dance and not be on death row for 50 years, the mind can really do a good job of telling you dont do this!
wonder if they will really do it, how did this gut get this judgement for an execution?

 

[Xd357]

wonder if they will really do it, how did this guy get this judgement for an execution?

I think he chose it himself.

 

[kowen1971]

He did choose it for himself according to the news this morning. It said he stated "I lived by the gun so I want to die by the gun". Said the sentence was carried out right around mid night...

 

[Volzfan]

wonder if they will really do it,

It was a done deal this morning. He was declared dead @ 12:17 this morning.

 

[savageshooter]

with what he did, it should have not taken this long. shooting LEOs should be immediently! there was no since in what he did. some lawyer sucked untold money from the state to defent that pos.

 

[jakeg823]

IMHO, if he has done something that merits the death penalty, then all the gun should have live rounds. Ya know, in case of a ftf or something. Of course its my opinion that public hangings should be reinstated as a means of carrying out death sentencing. Ropes much cheaper than electricity and intravenous drugs. Not to mention visual aids make for better deterrents.

not to mention cheaper than ammo nowadays.

and I read that Utah has made Lethal Injection the default, but there are still like 6 others(-1 now) on death row that were sentenced before they made it the default, so they can still choose.

 

[Doug Bowser]

The death penalty might not be a big a deterrent as we think. A lot of the condemned men live longer on death row than they ever would on the streets. They also get 3 squares medical care and a bed to sleep in.

Doug

PS: Why do they sterilize needles for lethal injection?

 

[captain-03]

OK -- What weapon do they use????

 

[kowen1971]

I dont think the death penalty in words is a deterrent but i do believe to witness a hanging first had, if it is truely as graphic as they say, could prove to be a deterrent to some who might otherwise commit certain crimes. As well as the elec chair could be also. I just think hanging is much more economical. And if i'm footing the bill I want it to work and be as cheap as possible. A rope in a tree meets both requirments... :thumbup:

 

[DBChaffin]

OK -- What weapon do they use????

I haven't found anything besides the ".30 caliber rifles" for the execution last night, but according to the link below, it has been Winchester 1894 lever guns in .30-30 using 150 grain Winchester Silvertips in the past in Utah:
http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/shooting%20US.html

 

[DBChaffin]

Found another article that talks about the guns and it says, "the weapon of choice for firing squads is the 30-caliber rifle, which uses powerful .30-30 cartridges designed to take down big game such as black bear, deer and moose."

I never understood why they loaded a blank ctg in one rifle. There is no recoil from a blank cartridge and the shooter would know what rifle had the blank loaded in it.

Doug

In this link, the blank cartridge is discussed and it is even mentioned that with the execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner last night, one of the rifleman was given "a dummy wax round that provides a more realistic recoil." I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else though.

From what it says, a blank was "believed to reinforce the sense of diffusion of responsibility among the firing squad members, making the execution process more reliable. It also allows each member of the firing squad to believe afterward that he did not personally fire a fatal shot - for this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the "conscience round". While an experienced marksman can tell the difference between a blank and a live cartridge based on the recoil (the blank will have lower recoil), there is a psychological incentive to not pay attention and, over time, to remember the recoil as soft."

 

[DBChaffin]

PS: Why do they sterilize needles for lethal injection?

I feel pretty certain that this question was posed rhetorically, but what the heck, I might as well go for a trifecta of posts... Besides, there may be someone that was actually wondering.

I think first it should be noted that the needles are not so much sterilized as an affirmative step but rather come from the package new and "pre-sterilized." So the question might actually be more appropriately posed as "Why do they use new (or sterilized) needles for lethal injection?"

There are several reasons, actually. Since it is routine medical procedure for needles to be sterlized during manufacture, they would effectively have to "go out of their way" to get used or non-sterilized needles. It would also be a hazard to the personnel administering the execution to use such non-sterilized equipment, as accidental sticks do occur in the medical field.

Finally, the lethal injection is not carried out with a syringe in one fell swoop, so to speak. IV lines are put into both arms and a saline drip is started. Then, at the appropriate time, the drugs are given, often in a set sequence. Since the IV lines are placed ahead of time, there is a chance that the prisoner could receive a stay of execution after the IVs had been inserted. This actually happened in the case of James Autry in Texas in 1983, although he was eventually executed the next year. Nevertheless, there is a possibility of a last minute stay or even pardon, so risking exposingthe the prisoner to an infection would not be a good idea.

 

[Will_M]

I saw in another article they referenced "Winchester .30 caliber rifles" as the rifles used in the execution so I think Bryant is correct (again).

 

[Will_M]

PS: Way to suck the fun out of the "why sterilize the needles" joke, Bryant.

 

[Joe S.]

I never understood why they loaded a blank ctg in one rifle. There is no recoil from a blank cartridge and the shooter would know what rifle had the blank loaded in it.

Doug

IMO, when you are faced with pulling the trigger on a man, your adrenaline will be pumping. i honestly think if you have a live round, you are not going to notice the recoil. i may be wrong. but you hear your gun go bang, along with 4 or 5 others, you really arent going to know if it was yours with the blank, or the guy next to you, so maybe you can justify it in your mind that you had the blank.

personally, i would hate to be charged with being on the line of gunmen to carry out that sentence. it would be a bad thing to feel i had taken a persons life. even a scumbag.

that is why i hope i am never in a SD situation where i have to take someones life. i know i could pull the trigger if i had to, but i just hope i never have to!!

 

[Will_M]

All of the members of the firing squad were volunteers.

They interviewed one of the guys who pulled the trigger last time. His exact words were "I've shot squirrels I've felt worse about."

Here's a link to the interview. http://news.discovery.com/history/gardner-firing-squad-execution.html