Mississippi considering firing squad as alternative to lethal injections

Death by firing squad, electrocution and the gas chamber are being considered as new execution methods in Mississippi.

At present the only execution method in the state is lethal injection, but a shortage of drugs has led lawmakers to propose new options.

The bill has passed the state's House and will now move on to the Senate for further consideration.

The proposals are a response to lawsuits claiming the substitute drugs that Mississippi plans to use would violate constitutional prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment.

The state currently has 47 people on death row, but a scarcity of the current execution drug means the last death by lethal injection was carried out in 2012.

Some inmates have spent decades awaiting execution.

There are 33 states in America with the death penalty, all of which have lethal injection as their primary method of execution.

Oklahoma and Utah also have firing squad as an option, eight states have electrocution as an option, five have gas chamber as an option, and three have hanging as an option.