McCain To Address NRA

John McCain is discussing judicial appointments today, and the Arizona senator is now poised to take on another issue close to many conservatives' hearts: guns.

McCain's campaign has announced the presumptive GOP nominee will speak at the National Rifle Association's annual meeting in Louisville next week. He will be joined by former rivals Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, as well as Karl Rove and others.

McCain, who has struggled to win over conservatives, has not always seen eye-to-eye with the NRA. As USA Today notes, the gun group took issue with McCain's campaign-finance legislation, and NRA chief executive officer Wayne LaPierre opposes background checks at gun shows, which McCain supports.

But otherwise, the newspaper writes, "the NRA has given McCain high marks," noting that LaPierre calls McCain the only presidential candidate "with a pro-Second Amendment record of any kind."

Among the areas where McCain and the NRA agree are their mutual opposition to the assault-weapons ban and mandatory waiting periods. NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told the Wall Street Journal that while the group has had its high-profile disagreements with the Arizona senator, "He's had a stellar voting record with us."