To his credit, North Carolina’s Democratic governor signed “Iryna’s Law” on Friday despite opposition from others in his own party.
Named after Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee who was brutally murdered by a career criminal in Charlotte two months ago, the law was pushed through N.C.’s legislature by state Republicans desperate to keep career criminals locked up behind bars forever.
The law “prohibits cashless bail for some violent crimes and for most repeat offenders,” “limits the discretion magistrates and judges have in making pretrial release decisions,” “allows for the state chief justice to suspend magistrates,” and “requires more defendants to undergo mental health evaluations,” according to Fox News.
It also includes a provision that could lead to the restarting of executions in North Carolina, including by firing squad.
Gov. Josh Stein said he supported the bill — despite deep opposition to the firing squad provision — because it forces the courts to take a much closer look “at people who may pose unusual risks of violence before determining their bail.”
BREAKING After immense pressure Democrat North Carolina’s Governor Josh Stein just SIGNED Iryna’s Law.
Cashless bail is now BANNED for vioIent criminals
NEVER FORGET IRYNA ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UuuylPjtAG
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) October 3, 2025
As noted above, Stein, nor other Democrats, cared for the firing squad provision.
“The general assembly sprung a last-minute amendment that aims to bring about execution by firing squad in North Carolina,” he said, according to local station WECT. “It’s barbaric. There will be no firing squads in North Carolina during my time as governor.”
But New Hanover County Republican chairman John Hinnant fiercely defended the provision.
“The capital punishment by firing squad is not a new concept,” he said. “There have been so many challenges to medical capital punishment versus the gas chamber. Science is constantly changing, but one thing that hasn’t changed in science is what happens with the firing squad.”
“I think we need to make the results and the punishment real. People need to know they’re going to feel it. While it’s an old practice, it’s been deemed reliable as a deterrent,” he added.
The Republican also praised the rest of Iryna’s Law.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” he said. “I think it’s important that it’s not so much crime but making sure it’s punishing crime because we don’t need people with repeated violent offenses on the street.”
“It’s important that we lock these folks up until they’re given a fair trial and make sure the evidence is heard by a judge and not a magistrate,” he added.
Iryna’s Law honors a life tragically lost by making sure our laws do more to protect the public. From tougher pretrial release to stronger sentencing and victim protections — this law puts safety first for North Carolina families. pic.twitter.com/Ja8Tl7O2Fm
— Michael Lee (@MichaelLee4NC) September 26, 2025
On the other side of the aisle are Democrats like New Hanover County Democrat chairwoman Jill Hopman, who opposes “Iryna’s Law” because it doesn’t address so-called “core issues.”
“The problem with Iryna’s Law … it focuses far too much on bail considerations instead of the core issues that lead to judicial intervention in the first place, and as a result, it does not actually make North Carolinians safer,” she alleged in a statement.
“To do that, we need comprehensive background checks, affordable mental health care, common-sense gun laws that balance our Second Amendment rights with inherent public safety concerns, violence and gang prevention measures, addiction and rehabilitation services, and other policy measures like Governor Stein has proposed,” she added.
So, according to her, the solution to crime has nothing to do with locking up criminals and everything to do with implementing failed Democrat policies. She certainly isn’t the first Democrat to say something so stupid.
During a Seattle primary race debate for Democrats earlier this week, incumbent Seattle Mayor Bruce Harold said explicitly that he doesn’t want to lock up criminals because he doesn’t know their life story.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell:
“When a man does 6 or 7 crimes, we do not know his life story… Maybe he was hungry. Therefore, I have zero desire jailing him.” pic.twitter.com/XG5bZqYjyr
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 3, 2025
Conservatives rightly note that it’s this same sort of backwards attitude that led to Zarutska’s murder in the first place.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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