Reactions erupted online Friday after President Donald Trump's Department of Justice announced it would reintroduce execution by firing squad.
The death penalty method had been under moratorium since the Biden administration, but the announcement in a press release on Friday revealed the DOJ had decided to reverse the move in an aggressive pivot.
“The prior administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to pursue and carry out the ultimate punishment against the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child murderers, and cop killers,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims.”
People were shocked by the decision on social media.
"So the government that can't deliver mail reliably now gets to decide who dies and how?" Political commentator Joe Lowson wrote on X.
"Wealthy men in suits who have never seen up close or engaged in violence now seemingly obsessed by it," television personality Damon Bennett wrote on X.
"Was anyone anywhere asking for this? The lack of focus on the real issues is frightening," Peter Hopey, writer and former columnist for the Bleacher report, posted on X.
"Let's see how this one plays out," film critic April Wolfe wrote on Bluesky.
"I thought this was an Onion headline at first," Cristóbal Muñoz, who self-identifies as a Southern California Business owner, wrote on Bluesky.