By John Dempsey, WLS-AM News

(CHICAGO) Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s conservative primary challenger Jeanne Ives is claiming credit for Rauner’s veto of a bill that would have the State of Illinois license gun dealers. Ives told “The Big John and Ramblin’ Ray Show” on WLS that the only reason Rauner vetoed the legislation was because she was pressuring him from the right, on the gun issue.

“We have put him in a box. We’ve pressured him to make a decision one way or another, reveal your intentions on that bill, because it says a lot about him. This is a man who refuses to tell anybody about what he plans to do because he has no core. He’s just going to do what’s politically expedient.”

On Tuesday Rauner told downstate radio station WJPF that he was going to veto the legislation because it was unfair to small businesses that sell guns.

“So we’ve been doin’ a lot of homework, doin’ a lot of research on this,” said Rauner, “and I have decided that I am vetoin’ that bill. I’m gonna veto the bill. It’s just not right.”

Ives told WLS that rather than being committed to gun owner rights, Rauner is guilty of political expediency.

“He’s already proven he’s a coward because he won’t debate me. As far as the gun bill goes, Governor Rauner knows he’s in a tight race with me and he knows that he can potentially lose. He also knows that Republican primary voters do actually care about protection of their second amendment rights.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel denounced Rauner for vetoing the bill. Emanuel called the veto “a slap in the face to crime victims, faith leaders and police.” The mayor said Rauner “put his primary election ahead of his primary responsibility to protect the safety of the people of Chicago and Illinois.”

@2018 WLS-AM News