A new law in South Carolina forces inmates on death row to choose between a firing squad or the electric chair if the lethal injection is not available.
According to CNN, the state's Republican governor, Henry McMaster, signed the bill into law on Friday.
Driving the new legislation was the fact that there have long been difficulties administering a lethal injection, which is the main method of execution used in the US.
In fact, there has not been an execution in South Carolina for a decade due to issues in obtaining the necessary drugs, per CNN.
Under the state's new law, South Carolina will continue to use lethal injection as its preferred method.
However, if it is unavailable, "then the manner of inflicting a death sentence must be by electrocution [electric chair] unless the convicted person elects death by firing squad," the law states according to the outlet.
If the inmate fails to arrive at a decision between a firing squad or the electric chair, then the latter of these two options will be selected as the method of execution.
In a tweet on Monday, McMaster shared: "This weekend, I signed legislation into law that will allow the state to carry out a death sentence. The families and loved ones of victims are owed closure and justice by law. Now, we can provide it."
South Carolina is now one of four US states to permit execution by firing squad, joining Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Utah.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections has stated that it's looking into how executions by firing squad are to be carried out.
The Director of Communications Chrysti Shain told CNN:
"The S.C. Department of Corrections will inform the S.C. Supreme Court that it can carry out executions. The only method available at this time is the electric chair.
"The department is working to develop protocols and procedures to proceed with execution by firing squad and still has no lethal injections drugs. We are currently looking at other states for guidance in developing firing squad protocols."
This comes after the pro-life governor of the state signed a bill into law in February banning abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected during an ultrasound. The law was later blocked by a federal district court judge.
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