Killer chooses firing squad

[RabidAlien]

Which is a reasonable idea, and would work great, except for one thing: humans. I'm all for capital punishment if the subject is caught red-handed, smoking gun in hand, or DNA evidence proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the accused is guilty. However, I also think that Hollywood may have screwed up and gotten close to the truth (in certain cases) when they filmed "12 Angry Men". What may seem like an open-and-shut case can turn out to be anything but that, when you strip away innate human prejudices and biased (not intentionally) viewpoints.

 

[Colin1]

And so it's done

Vanilla ice-cream? Man, that's just silly, the E-numbers in that stuff will kill you...

Gardner executed by firing squad - CNN.com

 

[Airframes]

If the Lobster didn't cause problems first.......

 

[javlin]

I if they used FMJ?? what caliber?

 

[Matt308]

I heard on the radio that the firing squad consists of law enforcement and military. And once the good dead is accomplished they will recieve a medallion (coin) for their superior work. I can't find anything other than this. I would gladly receive as many of these pins as they could produce for participating in the execution of those who prey upon children.

It is comforting to know that there are good men willing do discomforting deeds in support of us sheeple.

Corrections creating commemorative coin for Ronnie Lee Gardner execution | Deseret News

 

[Negative Creep]

Is it true one man in the firing squad is given a blank or is that just an urban legend?

 

[Matt308]

I don't know. I always thought that was urban legend. As a kid I was always told the rationale was so that the shooters never knew who actually fired the kill shot. But having grown up and gotten into shooting myself... believe me you know if you shoot blanks.

Come to think of it that wisdom has other applications doesn't it.

 

[ToughOmbre]

Is it true one man in the firing squad is given a blank or is that just an urban legend?

It's true NC. It's a psychological "crutch" for the shooters. But as Matt stated, you can tell when you're firing blanks.

TO

 

[javlin]

It's true NC. It's a psychological "crutch" for the shooters. But as Matt stated, you can tell when you're firing blanks.

TO

My wife told me that the other day

 

[Wayne Little]

My wife told me that the other day

Back to modelling then....

 

[Matt308]

I read a different take today. All the shooters were behind a steel blind. From what I read, all fired though a portal. All had live rounds except one.

My supposition is that this is for consumption of the masses. Alll shooters are steeled for the deed. One will have a blank.

How that makes a hill of beans once the deed is accomplished is frickin' beyond me. I can only guess that it is for the consumption of the ignorant reader masses who have no clue.

 

[Marcel]

If there is no doubt (e.g. caught in the act, or DNA evidence), then execute.

or DNA evidence proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the accused is guilty.

One thing that bugs me as a molecular biologist:
DNA evidence is a a method that should be used with care. These methods are so sensitive that all contamination will spoil your experiment (and there's always contamination). All the more, the amount of DNA isolated is awfully small, making the methods more unreliable. And last but not least, police and judges are often not trained in the science behind it and thus mis-interpret the results quite often. I'm not saying the methods are unusable, no it's very valuable, but it isn't the wonder-technique that most people think it is. It gives you more opportunities, but in the end it's just an other way of getting evidence.

 

[Matt308]

Yeah but there is a difference between a conclusion that is drawn from a DNA sample that has gone wrong and a DNA sample that has gone wrong and resulted in false-match.

 

[Tomahawk101]

I'm surprised anyone would choose the firing squad as their method of execution as I've heard it can potentially cause the most suffering by far. The electric chair is meant to be painless as unconsciousness is virtually instantaneous, but lethal injection sounds like the most favoured option as you just go to sleep on the first of the three drugs used.

If done in the correct manner the Firing Squad is one of the most painless executions available as bullets travel extremely fast, meaning the person would more than likely be dead before they knew what was happening.

Much less painful the hanging or getting fried.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I don't know. I always thought that was urban legend. As a kid I was always told the rationale was so that the shooters never knew who actually fired the kill shot. But having grown up and gotten into shooting myself... believe me you know if you shoot blanks.

Come to think of it that wisdom has other applications doesn't it.

I too don't see how you be confused by that. Different sound, different kick, different feel from the weapon all together.

 

[B-17engineer]

I know this sounds sick but I really wouldn't have any problem shooting a cold blooded murderer. I wouldn't need a blindfold or a blank.........

 

[timshatz]

I'm inclined to think that the blank shooter is essentially irrelevant to the shot. He knows he shot a blank (for above listed reasons) but probably doesn't talk about it. The other shooters may not want to believe, or better yet, have the thread of belief, that they did not do the kill shot.

It is a simple, psychological trick. Something along the lines of "willing suspention of disbelief" that you get while watching movies. They may know they fired a kill shot, but with the blank in there, the doubt that they fired a live round persists. It gives them an out, if they need it.

 

[Maestro]

Just my two cents...

I think the blank ammo was meant to prevent a member of the family or a friend of the... erhm... "executed" to hunt down the shooter and kill him. That way, no one in the crowd knows who executed the prisonner.

This being said, I always thought it was the other way around... 4 blanks and 1 live round.

 

[Matt308]

Interesting spin Maeastro. And I too B, think like you. And when you have children, you will realize that we are their guardians and when adults do evil upon them then we (adults) should come down upon them like God's wrath. DO NOT EVER HARM CHILDREN. Ever.

 

[RabidAlien]

Interesting spin Maeastro. And I too B, think like you. And when you have children, you will realize that we are their guardians and when adults do evil upon them then we (adults) should come down upon them like God's wrath. DO NOT EVER HARM CHILDREN. Ever.

In this scenario, if I were put in a firing squad before some child molester or child-killer, I'd be royally pissed if I did get the blank! I picture it going something like "Ready...aim....fire!" *BANG* <reload> *BANG* <reload> *BANG* <reload> "Um....shooter number three...."