State Watch

New Mississippi billboard warns criminals: ‘Firing squad is legal’

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by Deja Davis - 05/09/26 1:05 PM ET

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by Deja Davis - 05/09/26 1:05 PM ET

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DESOTO COUNTY, Miss. (WREG) — A billboard standing on Interstate 55 southbound as you cross the Tennessee state line and enter Mississippi from Memphis is sending a grim message to those coming into the state.

DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton recently announced the new billboard campaign, which features the sign reading, “WELCOME TO MISSISSIPPI. WHERE THE FIRING SQUAD IS LEGAL. THINK TWICE.”

It references Mississippi’s law permitting execution by firing squad under certain circumstances for inmates sentenced to death. Barton says this campaign is aimed at deterring violent crime and sends a direct message to criminals entering the Magnolia State.

“We are going to be loud and clear that DeSoto County does not coddle violent criminals. If you bring violence across our state line, we are going to prosecute you aggressively and hold you accountable,” Barton said.

“People on death row are the losers of life’s lottery… If violent criminals are looking for a state that coddles crime, Mississippi is not it,” he continued. “They’d better think twice before they act here.”

The district attorney also noted that the campaign was specifically designed to reinforce the county’s reputation for prioritizing law and order.

This comes after Barton’s previous billboard initiative, “TURN BACK NOW,” which is a warning to criminals to stay out of DeSoto County.

In 2017, Mississippi authorized firing squad executions as part of broader death penalty legislation passed by the state’s legislature. Former state Rep. Robert Foster (R) sponsored the legislation and also added alternative execution methods like the firing squad, electrocution, and nitrogen gas if lethal injection drugs become unavailable.

Mississippi is one of the five states in the nation where firing squad executions are legally authorized.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last month that it will bring back the use of firing squads and electric chairs for some death penalty cases, as well as “readopting” the use of lethal injections. Officials said the methods, “are critical to deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims, and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones.”

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