Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Democrat North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein reluctantly signed a crime bill, known as "Iryna's Law," named after a Ukrainian refugee stabbed to death in the state in August, that seeks to keep people safer.
But on Friday, he criticized restarting the death penalty and changing the execution method, describing hangings as "barbaric." A last-minute amendment included alternatives to the current legal injection, which is tied up by legal and regulatory challenges.
"There will be no firing squads in North Carolina during my time as governor," Stein said in a video explaining his decision to sign the bill.
Stein, elected governor last November after serving as the state's attorney general for eight years, also said he is bothered by the bill's "lack of ambition or vision. It simply does not do enough to keep you safe."
But Stein likes other portions of the legislation, including limiting a pre-trial release option for those accused of violent crimes and ramping up scrutiny of court magistrates.
