Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusilading is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are readily available, they are designed to kill human beings, and a gunshot to a vital organ usually kills the prisoner relatively quickly. Before the introduction of firearms, bows or crossbows were often used — Saint Sebastian is usually depicted as executed by a squad of Roman auxiliary archers.