"In short, there [is] nothing under Hillary's 'common-sense' bag of evil gun-ban tricks that she won't attempt if she takes the White House," Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the NRA, wrote in a column in the August edition of the NRA's official journal.

ADVERTISEMENT

Explaining their decision to endorse Trump — a Manhattan billionaire who has flip-flopped on gun policy — the NRA officials put a heavy focus on the Supreme Court, warning its members that Clinton, the Democratic nominee, would install on the court a radical anti-gun justice who would destroy their constitutional rights.

"We've got to get together. It's time to unite," wrote Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA's political action arm.

"If your preferred candidate dropped out of the race, it's time to get over it," he added.

"Now, were there differences between the candidates for the nomination? Of course.

"Were there valid arguments in favor of some over others? Sure.

"Will any of it matter if Hillary Clinton wins in November? Not one bit."

The NRA is one of the few conservative groups that has stuck by Trump through his recent troubles and vast polling deficits behind Clinton both nationally and in key battleground states.

The gun group defended Trump against the heavy criticism he received for suggesting that "Second Amendment people" might intervene to stop Clinton. The NRA is one of the only groups that's spending significant money — more than $6.5 million already — to help Trump and oppose Clinton.

In a column near the end of its August issue, the magazine described Clinton's presidency as an "unprecedented threat.”

"Given the mounting evidence of Clinton's hostility to our individual right to keep and bear arms, it is crucial that all gun owners, and others concerned with individual liberty, meet this unprecedented threat."