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JT Lewis | |
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Born | Joseph Theodore Lewis May 18, 2000 [1] |
Alma mater | Newtown High School (–2018) University of Connecticut |
Occupation | Filmmaker · school safety advocate · victim rights advocate |
Years active | 2013–present |
Political party | Republican |
Parent | Scarlett Lewis (mother) |
Relatives | Jesse Lewis (brother) |
Website | twitter |
Signature | |
Joseph Theodore Lewis [2] (born May 18, 2000) is an American school safety advocate. Lewis started Newtown Helps Rwanda, [3] a charity that raised money for survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide as well as former child soldiers in Uganda. He previously was a candidate in the 2020 elections for Connecticut state senator for the 28th district, [4] dropping out before the August primaries [5] to work on a national campaign. He is the older brother of first grade student Jesse Lewis, [6] a victim of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. [7]
JT Lewis was born Joseph Theodore Lewis on May 18, 2000, [1] to Scarlett Lewis. [8] He was in grade 7 when his six-year-old brother Jesse Lewis [9] was killed alongside 19 other grade one students in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012. [10] [11] Lewis was raised on a farm with his younger brother and they had horses, dogs, and chickens, which their mother bought in 1998. [12] Several days after the shooting, former president Barack Obama met with Lewis, his mother, and the victims' families at Newtown High School. [13] Lewis recalled the event years later saying that "President Obama treated me with the utmost respect and class. More importantly, [he] honored my brother's memory." [14] Lewis attended Newtown High School and was on the varsity football team, graduating in 2018. [15] Lewis attended University of Connecticut as a political science major. [11] He played on the UConn football team as a walk-on kicker his Freshman year. [16]
After the shooting, Lewis became an advocate for trauma victims and founded the organization Newtown Helps Rwanda, which raises money for relatives of the victims of the 1994 Rwanda genocide to attend college and also participates in other causes. [11] Survivors of the genocide reached out to Lewis via Skype to talk about their traumatic experiences losing family members due to violence and offer their condolences to him. [17] As a gesture of gratitude to the survivors, Lewis founded the organization to raise money for their education. [18] After a few months of fundraising, the organization raised enough money to send several survivors to college and have raised over $35,000. [17] Lewis's organization also helped Ugandan former child soldiers build fishponds and poultry farms for self-sufficiency. [18] The organization has expanded its focus to several causes to help victims of trauma, such as victims and survivors of automobile accidents. He has also interned for the non-profit organization Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, which his mother founded. [18] Lewis co-won the Courage Award at the 2016 Teen Choice Awards for his advocacy work. [19] The award was presented to him by singer Ne-Yo and actress Jessica Alba. He also met with singer Justin Timberlake after the ceremony. [19]
Lewis met with president Donald Trump in 2018 and participated in a roundtable discussion in the Roosevelt Room on the Federal Commission on School Safety report that was published after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting to address gun violence in American schools. [20] He attended with his mother Scarlett and sat next to Andrew Pollack, father of Meadow Pollack, a victim of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, two seats away from the President. [21] He shared his ideas about how to improve school safety with the President and other commission members. [22] After the meeting, Lewis had a private moment with the President in the Oval Office. [23]
After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, Lewis became involved in school safety reform and policy. In July 2019, Lewis announced that he was running as a Republican in the 2020 elections to represent Connecticut's 28th senate district in the Connecticut State Senate and unseat third-term incumbent senator Tony Hwang. [6] He decided to run for public office to honor his younger brother. [6] His campaign was centered on improving gun regulations, mental health and mental health law, and improving school safety. [2] He has been critical of Hwang, saying that Hwang is "all about taking pictures and not taking action." [24] Though he was running as a Republican, Lewis has expressed himself as a unifying figure and working with all lawmakers. [24] If he won the election, he said he would still continue to attend the University of Connecticut as a state senator. [24] He dropped out of the election in July. [5] He announced on Instagram on July 10 that he accepted a position with President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign. [25]
Lewis is a member of the Republican Party [23] and has said he is supportive of president Donald Trump and his administration. [26] He supports improving national background checks on gun purchases. [2] Commenting on his work with the Federal Commission on School Safety report, Lewis commented "It's not 100 percent perfect, but it is a great first step in the school safety movement." [2] He also supports improving security at schools, including having armed guards at schools. Lewis has voiced support for LGBT civil rights [2] and is a supporter of gun rights and the Second Amendment. [27] He criticized the non-profit organization Sandy Hook Promise for using graphic images in their PSAs about school shootings. [28]
In 2013, in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, JT's mother Scarlett started the non-profit Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement. [29] [30]
Alexander Emerick Jones is an American far-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts The Alex Jones Show from Austin, Texas, which is the longest-running online news and politics talk show, and was previously broadcast by the Genesis Communications Network across the United States via syndicated and internet radio. Jones's website, InfoWars, promotes conspiracy theories and fake news, as do his other websites, NewsWars and PrisonPlanet.
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Newtown High School is an accredited public high school in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2021–2022 school year, the school serves 1,398 students in grades 9–12 and employs 214.6 full-time faculty members. It is the only high school of the Newtown Public Schools.
Christopher Scott Murphy is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Connecticut's 5th congressional district from 2007 to 2013. Before being elected to Congress, Murphy was a member of both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly, serving two terms each in the Connecticut House of Representatives (1999–2003) and the Connecticut Senate (2003–2007).
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Sandy Hook is a village in the town of Newtown, Connecticut, founded in 1711. It was listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census. According to the United States Census Bureau in 2021, it has a population of 9,114.
Remington Outdoor Company (ROC), formerly known as the Freedom Group, was an American firearms manufacturer and holding company. The company had notable brands under its umbrella, such as Bushmaster, DPMS, Remington and Marlin.
Tony Hwang is an American real estate agent and politician. A Republican, he is a member of the Connecticut State Senate, for the 28th District, which covers parts of Fairfield County. Previously, Hwang as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives for the 134th District in the Connecticut General Assembly. Hwang became a state representative in 2008 and won re-election in 2010 and 2012. He was elected to the state Senate in 2014 and subsequently reelected. He is the assistant Senate Minority Leader.
On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed 26 people. 20 of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and the other six were adult staff members. Earlier that day, before driving to the school, Lanza fatally shot his mother at their Newtown home. As first responders arrived at the school, Lanza killed himself with a gunshot to the head.
Newtown Public Schools is a school district in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of 2013 it contained seven schools, with a total enrollment of 5298, an increase of 1663 since 1994. It comprises 2.64% of Fairfield County. Teachers in the school district are paid more than average for the area, which has in the past led to complaints from neighboring districts of staff being poached from them.
The December 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting—in which a gunman shot and killed his mother at home, 20 students, 6 teachers, then himself—received international attention. Governments and world leaders offered their condolences, while tributes and vigils by people were made in honor of the victims. U.S. President Barack Obama gave a televised address on the day of the shootings, saying, "We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics." Obama paused twice during the address to compose himself and wipe away tears, and expressed "enormous sympathy for families that are affected". He also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and other U.S. federal government facilities worldwide in respect for the victims. Three days after the massacre, 151,000 Americans had signed up at the Obama administration's We the People petitioning website in support of a renewed national debate on gun control. Obama attended and spoke at an interfaith vigil on December 16 in Newtown, Connecticut.
Victoria Leigh Soto was an American teacher who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. After the gunman, Adam Lanza, entered the school, she hid her students in her classroom. When Lanza entered Soto’s classroom, Soto claimed that the students were in the gym room. Lanza then shot Soto, causing the students to run from their hiding places. She was reportedly shot four times by Lanza and died trying to shield them with her body. She has since been hailed as a hero. She is a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal.
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. The perpetrator, Adam Lanza, fatally shot his mother before murdering 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and later committed suicide. A number of fringe figures have promoted conspiracy theories that doubt or dispute what occurred at Sandy Hook. Various conspiracy theorists have claimed, for example, that the massacre was actually orchestrated by the U.S. government as part of an elaborate plot to promote stricter gun control laws.
An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children's Safety, also known as Public Law 13-3 or Connecticut Senate Bill No. 1160, is a bill concerning gun laws in Connecticut. The legislation was introduced by Senator Donald Williams in the state senate and by House Speaker Brendan Sharkey in the state House of Representatives. It was cosponsored by Rep. Ezequiel Santiago, Rep. Matthew Ritter, Rep. Matthew Lesser, Rep. Larry B. Butler, Rep. Auden Grogins, Rep. Patricia A. Dillon, Rep. Catherine F. Abercrombie, and Senator Andres Ayala. The bi-partisan bill passed the Senate by a vote of 26 to 10 and the House of Representatives by a vote of 105-44 on April 3, 2013.
After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, multiple gun laws were proposed in the United States at the federal and state levels. The shooting renewed debate about gun control. The debates focused on requiring background checks on all firearm sales, and on passing new and expanded assault weapon and high-capacity magazine bans.
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