You can't say this comes as a surprise. The National Rifle Association has endorsed Republican John McCain for president.

NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, who also serves as chairman of the NRA's political action committee, is planning to announce the group's endorsement at stops in key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Missouri, Colorado and Nevada.

McCain "cast more than 60 votes in the Senate in support of the Second Amendment," LaPierre said.

Contrast that with Barack Obama, who supports gun control measures and has said the Second Amendment is subject to interpretation. Obama criticized the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that said the Second Amendment guarantees the right of citizens, not militias, to bear arms.

Along with the endorsement, the NRA's Political Victory Fund is planning newspaper ads and television spots to remind gun owners that McCain will protect their rights while Obama would restrict gun ownership if he's elected president.

Although McCain has not always supported legislation pushed the NRA, the fact that his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is a member of the NRA, helped the group decide who to endorse in the 2008 race.

"She's a hunter, she's a Second Amendment supporter and she's a tremendous asset to the ticket," LaPierre told The Associated Press.

Palin received an A-plus rating from the group when she ran for governor in 2006.

LaPierre also noted that the NRA doesn't always endorse presidential candidates.

The group backed President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 but did not support Bob Dole in the 1996 race against Bill Clinton or George H.W. Bush in the 1992 race against Michael Dukakis.

For more information, visit the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund Web site at http://www.nrapvf.org/