Gov. Bruce Rauner has vetoed legislation that would have required gun stores to be licensed by the state, calling it "unnecessary, burdensome regulation."
Rauner said Tuesday the measure would hurt small business owners and won't make communities safer.
His veto comes one week before the Republican faces a challenge from conservative state Rep. Jeanne Ives in the GOP primary. Last week, Ives' campaign criticized Rauner for not speaking publicly against the bill, calling it "the prelude to yet another betrayal" of Republicans.
Supporters of the measure accused Rauner of putting politics over doing the right thing.
The Legislature passed the measure last month in response to a deadly shooting at a Florida high school and the shooting death of a Chicago police commander.
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