Arizona's governor blocked an attempt to bar companies that "discriminate" against the firearm industry from state and local government contracts by vetoing the bill Tuesday.
In her veto letter, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said the bill is unnecessary and if enacted "could result in banks leaving Arizona's market."
"This would limit competition and increase costs for local governments, costs which ultimately fall on taxpayers," Hobbs added.
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from Senate Republicans.
The measure would have required governmental contracts worth at least $100,000 to include written certification from a company that it does not discriminate against the firearm industry.
"When we the people's money is being spent on a contract with an outside company we ought to make sure that company also supports the rights to keep and bear arms and not discriminate against the industry," Republican State Rep. Quang Nguyen, a co-sponsor of the bill, said on the House floor last week.
House Democratic Leader Andres Cano countered that the legislature "ought to be looking for common sense reforms to keep our loved ones safe and I dispute the fact this is not going to continue our state's obsession with firearms."
"It's exactly what (SB) 1096 is," he said.
Similar legislation was enacted into law in 2021 in Texas and has popped up in other states,
The Texas law led to
In 2018, Citigroup adopted a
A study last year said Texas' firearm discrimination law and another aimed at companies found to be boycotting fossil fuel businesses
