A Conversation With JT Lewis, The 19-Year-Old Republican Running On A Gun-Safety Platform

By Linley Sanders


Joseph Theodore “JT” Lewis, 19, believes that people have three options right after experiencing a massive tragedy: deny that it happened, do absolutely nothing, or attempt to create the world a higher class of place. He’s aiming for that last one.


Seven years prior, his younger brother Jesse was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. Lewis was 12 any time the perpetrator entered his 6-year-old brother’s first grade classroom and started shooting. Jesse shouted for his classmates to run as he remained by his teacher’s side, saving nine of his classmates’ lives.


Right now, Lewis, a full-time political science major at the University of Connecticut, is running for state Senate in Connecticut’s 28th district as a Republican and Second Amendment-supporting school safety contributor. Rather than banning guns, Lewis proposes more guns in schools — by way of the armed guards, a policy with no conclusive evidential support — and stronger federal background checks.


His opponent is incumbent Republican Tony Hwang, who served in the state Residence of Representatives once the Sandy Hook shooting took place; his district included segment of Newton. He joined the state Senate in 2018, winning over Democrat challenger Michelle Lapine McCabe, whose campaign earned endorsements from advocacy groups Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, which were founded as a direct response to the local tragedy. Hwang’s reelection campaign focuses on fiscal conservatism, although he’s also supported liberal bans on bump stocks and gun storage regulation.


(In a statement offered to MTV News, Hwang says, “I appreciate and respect anyone's wish to run for public office. I love representing the people of the 28th district … I remain focused on working tirelessly in the state Senate to address issues of state fiscal accountability, social responsibility, and economic sustainability.” He also adds, “I am honored and privileged to serve because the State Senator and will continue to do all I can to be a voice our constituents can be delighted of. Will constantly rise above accusations and political negatives.”)


Lewis says that soon following the Newton attack that left 20 children and six teachers dead, Connecticut had a possibility to show the country how to end mass shootings by strengthening background checks, expanding mental health resources, and implementing school safety measures. “We could have led the country and showed how to prevent these shootings. We failed early on,” he says. “Now, almost seven years later, we still have a chance to be the icon for the rest of the nation.” Perpetrators continue to complete mass shootings across America, and Lewis says it’s partially because old leadership did not do enough to contributor for school safety measures soon following the Sandy Hook shooting.


Lewis talks to MTV News about how he is going to make Connecticut a model for school safety In America — and how young Republicans are key to undoing the missteps of their older counterparts.


MTV News: You tell the story of losing Jesse in your campaign video. Your mother later called State Senator Tony Hwang, who at the time served in the Home, about her [Choose Love] initiative and did not get a telephone call back. The senator has since apologized to you. What should elected officials do in the wake of mass shootings?


Lewis: Well, first of all, it shouldn't be done in the wake of mass shootings, it should be done proactively before it even happens. That's the big thing. Although I don't want this whole campaign to be a fight between me and [Senator Hwang] because that's not what it's about. It's about the fresh new ideas I'm going to bring [to] Connecticut.


Soon after a mass shooting, the rest of the country's looking at how you're going to react to that. [Connecticut] should have devoted to three angles: gun regulation, mental health, and school safety measures. That's something I hope I can do: Bring people to the table and have these tough conversations on big issues.


MTV News: Let’s talk about details. I know you focus a lot on school safety measures to protect against mass shootings practically. You said some gun regulations — which ones do you support?


Lewis: One of the big things is background checks. There's some tweaking that needs to happen on a national level with the background check expenditures, although I think that's certainly something we have to have a vote on once it has such strong support.


far because the complete gun control battle goes, I've watched it play out since the Sandy Hook shooting, any time it became a personalized thing for me. All those people get up and so they begin fighting for gun control. And really, on a national level since Columbine, not much has been done. Yet the way I look at it is that, in those 20 years, we've had four presidents: [Bill] Clinton, [George W.] Bush, [Barack] Obama, and [Donald] Trump. Immediately after every mass shooting, we’ve looked to the president to do something, and for the large part, they haven't.


So, I'm at this mindset now that maybe we're looking at the incorrect person. Maybe we need to begin looking at ourselves. Maybe this is something that happens at the grassroots with a change of mindset, in the community, and in the family member life.


MTV News: There have been Republican lawmakers who oppose the background check expenses and the NRA strongly lobbies against it. How do you navigate your identity as a Republican once it comes to the allocate that so several current Republican lawmakers seem unwaveringly opposed to?


Lewis: in the event you listen to the Republicans who are against individual costs, they believe that a lot of those mass shootings can’t be avoided with background checks. I think a lot of these don't support it because [the bills] don't address the underlying issues that lead to mass shootings. Nevertheless again, it is something that’s supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans, who just want something done.


I don't really even get involved with it, I attempt give attention to things that are bipartisan ... Because whether we like it or not, there's 350 million [guns] in this nation, and it's been a cultural thing for 250 years right now. It’s not something you take away overnight, nor a problem that gets solved overnight.


MTV News: You worked with President Trump on the Federal School Safety Report, which encourages schools to train and arm school employees. Do you agree with the whole report?


Lewis: It's not 100 percent brilliant, yet it is a good first step in the school safety movement. The thing I don't agree with is the arming of teachers. I don't know why we can't agree that's not an excellent idea. Yet in the event you put that aside — and I think most of the governors did — that was a fantastic first step toward securing schools In the United States. That report was put on every governor's desk, and right now they have all those ideas and cash from the STOP School Violence Act.


MTV News: and you also don’t support arming teachers, nevertheless you do support improving the federal background check system. What specific measures do you believe would improve school safety?


Lewis: I do support having police officers or some order kind of rather trained armed guard in the schools. At Sandy Hook, there was nothing. The principal had to confront [the perpetrator] in the lobby. That's not fair to kids, to not give them a fighting chance. So, I'd love to be able to see police or armed professionals in schools. My brother saved nine of his classmates and then stood up to the shooter. However that's not something he should have needed to do. It's something that trained professionals should do.


Immediately after Sandy Hook, all of the Newtown schools in the district added police and guards to the schools. We have cameras, we have police guards, things like doors that locked from the indoor — things that you think are so simple, however we did not have once Sandy Hook happened. So, those are most crucial things that I've Been supporting and fighting for.


MTV News: there really are a handful of instances where armed guards have helped stop mass shootings, although there’s little proof that even rather trained armed guards deter mobile shooters. There was an armed guard outdoors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at the time of its attack, and there have been reports that young people who survived the shooting feel further traumatized by armed guards who were put in place immediately after it. Why is this the plan that makes the most sense to you, given all of that information?


Lewis: Again, it’s going to be everything coupled with each other. Stoneman Douglas is such a different scenario because they had a guard patrolling several different buildings. That’s a lot to protect for one guy, and I think they had other security officers, however he failed. And that’s a horrible example that people use to go right after armed guards, and it’s disappointing that he turned people off to the idea. I truly believe that in the event you get the correct person with the correct training … it's still a very crucial measure to take.


[Editor’s note: Scot Peterson, the guard on duty at MSD throughout the shooting, is currently on trial, soon after an investigation unearthed video footage that showed him retreating away from gunshots rather than entering a building that the perpetrator had targeted.]


MTV News: Do you worry about such measures further traumatizing young people? 


Lewis: I don't. I’ve discussed to a lot of my companions at school about this, and so they agree with me. The majority know that it's there for our own safety. As an example, right following the September 11 terrorist attacks, we implemented all these security measures in airports. You don't just get on a plane anymore, willy nilly. I'm 19, although at first, I would think about it was uncomfortable for people. Then we got used to it, and right now it's just a way of life. I think that's going to, unfortunately, be the same thing for schools up until we can figure it out.


MTV News: You talk a lot about mental health to address gun violence. What proposals do you have for Connecticut to help deal with mental health? 


Lewis: You have to get each person, especially young people as soon as their minds are so conveniently molded. My mom's program is Jesse Lewis Pick Love Movement, and I'm going to highlight it in my campaign and any time I'm a state senator. Basically, once Jesse died, we noticed a message on our kitchen chalkboard: “Nurturing, Healing, Love.” Jesse wrote that the week before he died, and we only noticed it soon following the shooting on our kitchen chalkboard. She's taken that message and spread it. Her program is currently in all 50 states, [and] it just hit 80 countries the other day and over a million kids, which is pretty amazing.


MTV News: You’re in a pretty blue state. Classmates, coworkers, people who don't necessarily have the same conservative values that you do — how do you explain to them why you determined to run as a Republican and how that's such a big piece of your identity?


Lewis: I've routinely been very interested in politics, and I attempt to look at both sides of the provide. Through my journeys and what I’ve learned, I’ve noticed that the Republican Party is the ideal fit for me. I agree with the way they are very staunch about protecting our constitutional rights. After the Constitution is huge for me.


MTV News: You’ve mentioned that you're piece of the next generation of Republicans. What do you want Republicans to do better or to be known for moving forward?


Lewis: The big thing for me is going to be bringing both sides of the aisle with each other, something I don’t think Democrats or Republicans have done on a national level. I have my deeply seated beliefs that are very Republican [like a hope to repair Connecticut’s state debt problem], however I think that if you're going to get anything done, you've got to bring people with each other, especially on such a key supply like school safety. I've Been criticized as an one-issue candidate, which isn't true ... Yet you know, the thing I mention is, nothing matters if your kid is dead. Nothing matters. It's very simple. We need to repair this first. You're not safe in your schools, you're not safe in your communities, nothing else matters. This is an enormous issue.


far because the new generation of Republicans, the values that are different with me — and I don't think Republicans are racist or homophobic — yet, I'd love to be able to see more inclusiveness in the Republican Party. You visualize it from the older generation where they're not quite in tune with 2019. I think that's something we are beginning to repair about the party, we're beginning to be a more inclusive party, which is great.


MTV News: Do you support LGBTQ+ civil rights, which several people identify as a liberal issue? 


Lewis: Absolutely. I was doing a CNN interview recently and I was in the green room with a Southern Republican, far-right, church-going man. He was very anti-gay, and I attempted to spend 30 minutes explaining to him that we should just attempt to love each person, because The holy scriptures says.


I couldn't really get through to him, and that was disappointing. This is very stereotypical, although somewhat true: a lot of Republicans still hold those views... That's disappointing to know that's involving the Republican Party. There really are naturally people on the left, also, in that generation, nevertheless it is disappointing. I just spend a lot of time attempting converse with people and introduce them to these new progressive ideas. And I think they’ll come around, hopefully.


MTV News: Do you imagine yourself a Trump supporter?


Lewis: I'm a school safety contributor and the President is also, and that's why we've aligned on that offer. Certainly, I don’t support everything he does. However, I have supported Trump in his efforts on school safety.


MTV News: We are seeing a lot of young people who hope to get into politics through the primary challenges against Republicans and Democrats alike. How do you suggest that will change America’s political landscape?


Lewis: It's bringing freshness into both parties and new ideas. Certainly, the old ideas haven't been working, especially on certain issues like school safety and gun control.


A week immediately after I reported my campaign, Senator Hwang got $80,000 passed in school safety funding for Fairfield schools, which is his hometown. It took a 19-year-old to challenge him to get him to protect kids in his own district. That was awful; it's naturally also little, also late. Although I'm glad to be able to see that my campaign is already waking up politicians in Connecticut and about the nation. Politicians are beginning to learn that young folks are here. And if they never get up and begin to act, we’re going to replace them. It's that simple.


This interview was conducted in two parts. It has been condensed and edited for range and clarity.