Method of choice: Double murderer Ron Lafferty has chosen to die by firing squad

It is a macabre choice to make - and almost unique to some inmates on Utah's death row: would you be injected with toxic chemicals, or shot in the heart?

But, amid cries of outrage against the southwestern state bringing death by firing quad back into law, almost half of those due to die that way have picked the punishment themselves.

Ron Lafferty, who slit the throats of his sister-in-law and her baby daughter in 1984, is one of three who has opted to die by the bullet.

Two others in Utah's eight-strong death row have made the same choice, the Los Angeles Times reported - though it is not clear who they are.

The recent change in Utah's execution law revived the firing squad as a back-up method, in case no lethal injection drugs are available

It was outlawed in 2004, before which time inmates such as Lafferty had been able to choose between the two.

Even while firing squads were banned, a legal technicality meant previous decisions were still valid. The last was carried out in 2010.

In practice, Utah has no doses of lethal injection, and no way to acquire more. That situation means anybody the state executes is likely to be put before a firing squad - five marksmen with .30-caliber Winchester rifles - whatever their preference.

The state is not due to kill anybody for several years yet, so a new source could be found - though many drugs manufacturers now refuse to do business with governments that carry out capital punishment.

Human rights organizations criticize the method as a barbaric throwback to the days of the Wild West - the same charges which led to the scrapping in the first place.

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Execution chamber: Pictured above is the seat in which inmates are strapping ahead of a firing squad execution, in which five guards would gun them down from 25 feet away

Fan: Ronnie Lee Gardner, who was killed by firing squad in 2010, requested the method having previously said: 'It's so much easier... and there's no mistakes'

A spokesman for Governor Gary Herbert, who signed the bill, said the state of Utah has an 'obligation' to provide a viable execution method.

He said: 'Those who voiced opposition to this bill are primarily arguing against capital punishment in general and that decision has already been made in our state.

'We regret anyone ever commits the heinous crime of aggravated murder to merit the death penalty and we prefer to use our primary method of lethal injection when such a sentence is issued.

Others: Two other inmates have requested death by firing squad. It is unclear which. Above are (left to right) Ralph Menzies, Troy Kell and Taberone Honie

Death row: Anybody sentenced to death before 2004 has a choice of execution methods. Pictured above (left to right) are Von Taylor, Michael Archuleta and Floyd Maestas

'However, when a jury makes the decision and a judge signs a death warrant, enforcing that lawful decision is the obligation of the executive branch.'

Refusal: Douglas Carter, pictured, has asked for lethal injection - but may be killed by firing squad anyway if none can be found

The move follows a series of high-profile botched executions around the U.S. in 2014 and 2015, many due to concerns about the efficacy of lethal injection drugs.

Proponents of the punishment tout the speed of firing squads - provided some of the five bullets hit the heart, death can come in little longer than a minute.

Lethal injections have in some cases dragged on for almost half an hour.

The last firing squad death in Utah, and the United States, was that of Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010.

A New York Times report said that he told a Utah judge 'I would like the firing squad, please' a few weeks before his execution date.

He explained his preference more than a decade earlier, in an interview with the Deseret News. He told the paper: 'I guess it's my Mormon heritage.'

'I like the firing squad. It's so much easier... and there's no mistakes.'

As per his wishes, the marksmen opened fire at a 12:15am on June 18, 2010, ABC News reported.

At 12:17am, he was declared dead.

THE ANATOMY OF AN EXECUTION: HOW UTAH'S FIRING SQUAD WORKS The prisoner is seated in a chair that is set up in front of a wood panel and in between stacked sandbags that keep the bullets from ricocheting around the room. A target is pinned over the inmate's heart. Shooters aim for the chest rather than the head because it's a bigger target and usually allows for a faster death. The prisoner is offered a two-minute window to offer final words. In 1977, Gary Gilmore used that chance to say 'Let's do this!' before he died. Five shooters set up about 25 feet from the chair, with their .30-caliber Winchester rifles pointing through slots in a wall. Assuming they hit their target, the heart ruptures and the prisoner dies quickly from blood loss. Weapon: Utah's marksmen fire the fatal rounds from a .30-caliber Winchester rifle, similar to the one above The gunmen are chosen from a pool of volunteer officers, with priority given to those from the area where the crime happened. Thus far there have always been more volunteers than necessary. The shooters' identities are kept anonymous, and one of their rifles is loaded with a blank round so nobody knows which officer killed the inmate. Unlike lethal injections, death by firing squad leaves some of an inmates' organs - such as the eyes, kidneys and liver - unspoilt for donation, so long as they are not hit by stray bullets. Advertisement

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