News Analysis: NRA endorsement will boost Trump's credentials to win support from conservative Republicans in presidential race

The U.S. National Rifle Association's (NRA's) endorsement of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump will help solidify his conservative credentials to win support from conservative Republican voters.

The NRA, a powerful gun lobbying organization of American gun owners who advocate the constitutional right to bear firearms, announced their backing of the bombastic businessman on Friday.

Its support comes at a time when the Republican Party (GOP) is split over Trump, a controversial candidate whose conservative credentials are questioned by establishment Republicans. Trump in the past has supported Democrats on a number of issues.

"The NRA endorsement will strengthen Trump's support among conservatives. Having it will help the billionaire undermine critics who say he is not a real conservative," Brookings Institution's senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

"The NRA carries a lot of weight with the grassroots," West added.

Indeed, having the NRA's backing will help solidify GOP rank-and-file under Trump's umbrella, as gun rights is a major concern for a number of conservatives, especially in rural areas where police may be far away and where home owners argue they need to protect themselves.

Trump has in recent weeks had trouble getting many GOP leaders to back him, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, as mainstream party leaders are upset with Trump's failure to toe the line on key issues, from trade agreements to security agreements with allies such as Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, has also come out against Trump, saying the bombastic businessman is not "presidential," and contending that Trump lacks the qualities that a commander in chief and leader of the world's no. 1 economy should have.

Gun violence in the U.S. has in recent years grabbed headlines nationwide and worldwide, especially such cases as the Sandy Hook shooting. The 2012 mass killing in the U.S. State of Connecticut was carried out by 20-year-old Adam Lanza, who entered an elementary school and fatally shot 20 children aged between 6 and 7 years old, as well as six adult staff members.

Additionally, the U.S. has seen a number of cases of multi-victim shootings, such as a mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado in 2012. A gunman entered a movie theater and murdered 12 people, injuring 70 others, when he began shooting indiscriminately.

But despite these and other incidents, gun violence has not been a major political issue during this election season.

While U.S. President Barack Obama has proposed a number of gun control laws, they have not had Congressional backing, and Americans are relatively unconcerned with the issue, according to polls.

One major reason for the inaction by U.S. lawmakers to curb gun rights despite the repeated tragedies caused by guns is the great lobbying power boasted by the NRA, which has more than 5 million members and is regarded as one of the top three most influential lobbying groups in Washington.

Traditionally, many U.S. politicians, especially the Republicans, try hard to woo the NRA endorsement during elections.

Meanwhile, likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is using the NRA's Trump endorsement to gain political points of her own by meeting with a parent of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old African American who was shot dead in Florida in 2012 during a scuffle with George Zimmerman, an armed neighborhood guard.

"(Clinton) is reacting to this by meeting with the parent of Trayvon Martin, a young man who was the victim of gun violence," West said.

Clinton talked about the dangers of guns and need for tighter controls, while attacking the NRA for being out of touch about the epidemic of gun violence in America. Enditem