by Dr. Mark Creeech
Return America
During Thanksgiving week, Return America informed you that HB 193 – Firearm Law Revisions – would take effect on December 1. This long-prayed-for legislation, championed by Rep. Jeff McNeely (R-Iredell), strengthens protections for North Carolina’s faith communities and public servants. It permits trained and vetted employees or volunteers in private Christian schools to carry firearms for campus security, allows concealed carry at church meetings in school buildings (even during school hours, with school approval), and provides new safeguards for local officials and election workers. Its passage, won by a single vote in the House and a dramatic, unexpected reversal in the Senate, was unmistakably providential. After twelve years of prayer, God has answered.
On December 2, the day after the law took effect, Dr. Ron Baity, president of Return America, sent a reminder to Christian school leaders about the responsibilities that come with this new opportunity. While the law allows schools to authorize certain individuals to carry for the protection of their campuses, it also requires sober judgment and faithful adherence to its implementation. Dr. Baity emphasized the following obligations:
- Authorization by Leadership: No one may carry without explicit approval from the school board, church leadership, or other governing authority.
- Concealed Carry Permit: Every authorized individual must hold a valid concealed carry permit.
- Advanced and Ongoing Training: Each individual must complete at least eight additional hours of firearms training from an NRA-certified instructor (or equivalent), with this requirement renewed annually.
- Written Procedures and Parental Notification: Schools must maintain written standard operating procedures governing their policy and must provide parents with a copy every year.
To help schools meet this final requirement, the following sample letter may be used or adapted:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
House Bill 193, which took effect on December 1, 2025, allows nonpublic K–12 schools to authorize certain employees or volunteers to carry concealed firearms on school property, provided that strict screening, training, and procedural safeguards are met.
In accordance with this law, our school has adopted a formal Staff Firearm Authorization Policy to enhance campus safety and ensure that any authorized individual is thoroughly qualified, properly trained, and carefully supervised.
Those who have been authorized to carry on our campus have completed all background checks, possess valid concealed carry permits, and have met the additional annual training requirements mandated by statute.
Please know that this policy exists for one purpose—to help protect the children God has entrusted to our care. HB 193 provides an additional layer of lawful security, and we pray it brings you greater confidence in the measures taken for your child’s safety.
Sincerely,
[Name / Title]
[School Name]
Much has been said in the press about this legislation, and regrettably, much of the reporting has been biased or ill-informed, casting the new law in an unfavorable light. For that reason, it bears repeating that those who choose to operate under HB 193 must demonstrate the utmost responsibility in complying with every requirement. By doing so, we show that this law is not only necessary but can be applied with integrity, care, and respect for the trust it places in our schools and communities.
Iryna’s Law Also Became Law on Monday
Before closing this week’s Legislative Update, I wish to highlight one more critical measure that Return America helped push across the finish line. On Monday of this week, December 1, HB 307 – Iryna’s Law, championed by Rep. Tricia Cotham (R – Mecklenberg), also became law in North Carolina. This bill represents a monumental step toward restoring justice in our state and protecting innocent citizens from repeat, violent criminals.
The legislation is named for Iryna Dmytryk, a young woman tragically killed by a repeat violent offender who had previously been released without meaningful bail. She was brutally murdered on board a commuter train in Charlotte. Her story became a powerful symbol of the urgent need for reform, reminding lawmakers that lax pretrial policies can cost innocent lives.
Among its key provisions, the law:
- Ends cashless bail for violent offenders. No longer will individuals charged with dangerous crimes be swiftly released back into our communities with no financial accountability. Requiring meaningful bail helps ensure that violent suspects cannot simply walk out the door and reoffend while awaiting trial.
- Speeds up death penalty appeals that have been stalled for nearly two decades. North Carolina has not carried out an execution since 2006 – effectively a 19-year de facto moratorium. As a result, capital cases have languished, victims’ families have been denied closure, and the moral authority of the justice system has been weakened. When capital punishment is law, and when someone is duly convicted of a capital crime, allowing that sentence to sit unfulfilled for decades is justice delayed – and justice delayed too often becomes justice denied.
- Provides stronger protection for the public by tightening processes that prevent violent, repeat offenders from slipping through the cracks.
What makes this achievement even more striking is that Governor Stein, who has consistently expressed discomfort with capital punishment, felt compelled to sign the bill. This alone underscores just how necessary and broadly supported these reforms were. Return America was honored to play a role in advocating for the passage of Iryna’s Law.
Capital punishment, rightly understood, is a biblical concept rooted in God’s demand for justice and the protection of innocent life. HB 307 is meant to be carried out with both fairness and firmness. At a time when violent crime has touched too many families, this legislation reaffirms that the state does not “bear the sword in vain” (Romans 13:4).
Give to Return America this Christmas Season
If these legislative successes are encouraging, perhaps you and your church, your Sunday School class, or your missions group could help us with a generous gift so we can continue pressing forward. A special Christmas gift to Return America today will equip us to continue shaping public policy that protects and restores our American Biblical heritage.
You can send your gift by mail to:
Return America
PO Box 380
Wallburg, NC 27373
Dr. Mark Creech is director of government relations for Return America. He lives in Raleigh to be close to the state’s legislature.
