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rojo's avatar

Would this be a more or less humane way for the U.S. to execute prisoners? (Details Inside)

Asked by rojo (24179points) February 10th, 2016

I found this quote in a Reuters article about North Korea: “In May last year, the North executed its defense chief by anti-aircraft gun at a firing range, the South’s spy agency said in a report to members of parliament.”

With most U.S. States having gone the lethal injection route and several now having difficulties acquiring the necessary drugs to make the required chemical cocktails, should States such as Texas, which is No. 1 in offing prisoners, consider this form of execution as a replacement?

Given the choice, would you personally choose to be executed by firing squad, hanging, electric chair, lethal injection or shot to bits by an anti-aircraft gun at close range?

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13 Answers

Seek's avatar

Purely for poetic purposes, I’d choose hemlock.

CWOTUS's avatar

I’d go for Death By snu snu!

Or maybe this way.

Oh, cool. Maybe now I know how to tag links on Fluther, too.

Mimishu1995's avatar

I read some accounts that say shot condemned suffered a lot, sometimes even greater than the condemned executed by other methods. My country’s government is considering changing from shooting to lethal injection and is testing of some prisioners. Shooting doesn’t seem so humane. Lethal injection may be more humane but it surely is less economical.

If I had to choose, I’d go with long drop hanging. Cheap and more likely to guarantee a quick death.

elbanditoroso's avatar

I have always been in favor of either electrocution or firing squad.

Anti-aircraft shells – too much chance of a miss. Gun shot = pretty accurate.

The whole chemical thing, to me, is too ‘clean’ – too politically correct. If the government decides to kill someone, do it in a way that makes a statement.

The Saudis have public ceremonies when they cut off hands of their prisoners. I see no reason why the US shouldn’t do the same thing. What’s America trying to hide?

ucme's avatar

Tickled to death by a topless wench from below stairs using a feather freshly plucked from an ostrich arse.

Love_my_doggie's avatar

For true humanity and something worthy of being called a “civilization,” abolish the death penalty entirely.

zenvelo's avatar

I’m with @Love_my_doggie. Join the civilized world and stop revenge killing in my name.

canidmajor's avatar

I’d go guillotine, very quick and effective.

Love_my_doggie's avatar

@zenvelo “Join the civilized world and stop revenge killing in my name.”

Amen. I also detest the fact that my federal and state tax dollars are used for executions. It’s part of the social contract, and I have no choices but to pay-up or emigrate, yet it’s a dreadful part of that contract.

kritiper's avatar

The anti-aircraft method would work very well if the gun was trained on the victim’s head at point-blank range. The suffering is only in the mind and if you destroy the brain quickly, no suffering. Messy, though effective. (A shotgun loaded with a single solid slug would be more cost effective.)

Hawaii_Jake's avatar

There is no such thing as humane execution.

Darth_Algar's avatar

The anti-aircraft thing is just ridiculous and several orders of magnitude beyond overkill. It’s just another of Best Korea’s typical attempts to like a big boy.

As far as “humane” executions go – make no mistake, we’re* not truly concerned with the suffering of the condemned. We’re simply trying to sanitize the act as much as possible for our own benefit. We demand blood, but we get kinda squeamish at the sight of it.

*Using “we” in the societal sense here in this post.

SecondHandStoke's avatar

The appeal of capital punishment is that the chance of the guilty committing heinous crimes again drops to zero.

Also, in some cases, the guilty are removed from the gene pool.

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