"He gets that all the issues we fight for are connected, and the gun violence isn't the cause but the symptom of systematic injustice in this country."
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday announced he has the backing of a number of cofounders of the March for Our Lives movement and other gun control groups, endorsements that came less than two weeks after the Vermont senator announced a new push against gun violence in the U.S.
"People are sick and tired of gun violence, and the time is now for all of us together to stand up to the NRA," Sanders said. "I am proud to have the support of these young leaders in the fight against gun violence."
In a video announcing the endorsements, activists Delaney Tarr, Ryan Deitsch, Robert Schentrup, Maxwell Frost, Nurah Abdullhaqq, Chris Grady, Thandiwe Abdullah, and Daud Mumin express their support for Sanders and the senator's "intersectional" approach to solving gun violence in America.
"He gets that all the issues we fight for are connected, and the gun violence isn't the cause but the symptom of systematic injustice in this country," says Frost.
As Common Dreamsreported on February 8, Sanders brought on March for Our Lives co-founder Matt Deitsch as a campaign gun violence prevention advisor. Deitsch in a tweet Thursday welcomed his fellow activists to the fold.
"Bernie Sanders is building an intersectional movement to end our gun violence epidemic," Deitsch said.
The activists all expressed their enthusiasm about Sanders' candidacy, calling the senator's message an important and correct step in the right direction on gun violence and the other issues facing the country.
"So proud to be a part of this movement, and to endorse Bernie Sanders for President," said Tarr. "Together we can create a safer, more equitable America."
Abdullhaqq was brief, but to the point.
"Bernie is for the people," she said, "more than excited to endorse him."