The Republican governor of Oklahoma – perhaps the reddest of America’s red states – dealt the NRA a shocking blow late Friday.

Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed a bill that would have allowed citizens to “open carry” without a permit or required training, something the NRA strongly supported.

The veto comes after intense lobbying from the state’s business community and law enforcement – including the state’s version of the FBI, who said it would erode public safety.

The National Rifle Association voiced strong support for the bill and urged its passage, the Associated Press reports.

In a statement announcing her veto, Fallin stressed her support for the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms and noted she had signed concealed and open carry measures in the past.

“I believe the firearms laws we currently have in place are effective, appropriate and minimal,” she said. But she added that the bill would have eliminated the requirement for a training course and reduced the level of background checks to carry a gun.

The bill is the same as the “constitutional carry” provisions adopted in about 12 other states. It would have permitted adults 21 and older – and active-duty military- to carry a handgun, open or concealed, without a license or permit.

Currently, Oklahoma requires a license to carry a firearm at all.

The state bureau of investigation, which now issues handgun licenses, said the bill would cost them about $4.7 million and result in the loss of 60 full-time employees – presumably the people responsible for investigating and issuing permits.

Bureau Director Bob Ricks was over the top in his opposition to the bill “The impact … is unquantifiable,” he said.

The fact that the business community – including chambers of commerce – opposed the bill gave the governor some political cover to veto it. Gov. Fallin is also term-limited out, so she can’t run again. The AP reports:

Several Republican candidates to succeed Fallin as governor urged her this week to sign it.

“Republican voters believe in the Second Amendment and they believe they should be able to exercise that right with as little interference from the government as possible,” Worthen said. “Especially in more rural areas.”

Fallin has vetoed gun bills before. In 2014, she vetoed a bill requiring state authorities to sign off on applications for federally-regulated items such as silencers, short-barreled rifles and automatic weapons within 15 days. But the Legislature overrode her veto and the bill became law anyway. In 2015, she vetoed legislation that restricted businesses from banning guns at parks, fairgrounds and recreational areas, a veto that remained in place.

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