"Bring Back the Firing Squad" – Idaho Becomes America's Toughest Death Penalty State

**Patrick Bet-David** (0:00)
Have you guys heard about what Idaho is going to be doing effective July 1st, within two days?

**Adam Sosnick** (0:03)
Let's hear it, Idaho.

**Patrick Bet-David** (0:04)
As of July 1st.

**Vincenzo Guastaferro** (0:05)
Which is tomorrow, yeah?

**Patrick Bet-David** (0:06)
Which is two days.

**Vincenzo Guastaferro** (0:08)
Oh, sorry, today's the 29th.

**Patrick Bet-David** (0:10)
Effective July 1st, an Idaho law allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty for certain convictions involving sexual abuse of children 12 years or younger. It's not an automatic death sentence for every child rep conviction. However, Idaho passed a law making the firing squad, the state's primary method of execution beginning July 1st of 2026
Making it the first state to designate the firing squad as the default execution method. This is Idaho, okay? Idaho.

**Vincenzo Guastaferro** (0:50)
The firing squad.

**Patrick Bet-David** (0:51)
People convicted of certain extremes offenses can face the state's harshest penalty using a method that does not depend on medical drugs or supplies. The legislation passed Idaho's House Bill 37 and 380 authorizes the use of the firing squad as a method of execution in cases where other means are unavailable or legally challenged. It represents a shift in how the state approaches capital punishment, driven in part by ongoing difficulties that many states have faced in obtaining drugs required for lethal injection protocols. Idaho joins a small number of states that have turned to the firing squad as an alternative method or proponents described as more reliable and less dependent on pharmaceutical supply chains and which critics argue raise its own serious legal and ethical questions. The law takes into effect July 1st of 2026 How do you feel about it, Tom?

**Tom Ellsworth** (1:36)
I love this, you know, because deterrent is where it starts. Do I want to see a bunch of public executions like this? No, I don't. But do I want to see a deterrent? Do I want to see sensibleness? You know, Vinny, you're going to love this. This is some some funny math. Only 8% of the adult population has a concealed carry permit in Idaho.

**Adam Sosnick** (1:57)
I'm saying, what's the percentage?

**Tom Ellsworth** (1:59)
8%. OK, but 60% of households have guns. You want to know why?
Because it's a constitutional concealed carry state, which means if you're in good standing and you're not a felon in anything, then you can carry, which is why Idaho has the lowest ATM muggings in the nation.

**Adam Sosnick** (2:17)
Oh, weird.

**Tom Ellsworth** (2:18)
Because there's a 60% chance that someone's going to turn around and say, that's my wallet, asshole.

**Adam Sosnick** (2:23)
Bang!

**Tom Ellsworth** (2:26)
And going to air your ass out. So that's it. And so now what you're getting, and by the way, Idaho also, Pat, has reciprocity. If you have a concealed carry permit issued in another state, you can come to Idaho and they will recognize it. If you're vacationing or something, or people with RVs often have weapons to protect themselves in the evenings.
And I think Idaho is showing the nation how they feel about the strenuousness of the law that should be up on this particular crime, and the backdrop I'm giving you, if they have been a very... By the way, you don't read about Idaho leading the league in murders. You don't read about Idaho leading the league in riots, because you've got an armed populous, and it keeps itself in check with the Second Amendment, and now they're coming up and saying, this is how valuable... I don't say how terrible is the firing squad. Idaho is saying, this is how viable we feel our precious children...

**Patrick Bet-David** (3:29)
By the way, you know what question I just asked? I asked this question because what I want to know is, is it going to be public? Because they say public execution. They say no public or televised executions. Idaho's firing squad procedures limit viewing to a small group of official witnesses, victims' family, condemned family, and up to four selected media representatives. The event is not open to the general public or broadcast on TV, and recording and social media is prohibited. Rules explicitly ban filming, taping, recording, broadcasting, or using camera, phones, electronic devices inside the execution area. Violators face removal and potential legal consequences. Media access is restricted.
Approved journalists can observe and report details, but must follow strict protocols with no personnel, recording allowed, post-execution briefings, provide official information instead of live clips. What is a post-execution briefing? So the gentleman was standing there, the shot where his left leg gave up first, and what are you going to do?

**Tom Ellsworth** (4:25)
I think what they're saying is...