>> Todd: WELCOME BACK.
IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT
MASSACRE AT SANDY HOOK
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEWTOWN,
CONNECTICUT TOOK PLACE ABOUT TEN
YEARS AGO.
IT WILL BE TEN YEARS AGO THIS
UPCOMING DECEMBER.
ONE OF THE VICTIMS THERE OF
SANDY HOOK AND SAFETY SCHOOL
ADVOCATE AND FORM A
UNITED STATES CANDIDATE, J.T.
BEFORE WE GET INTO THE SECURITY
PART OF THIS, THE POLICY PART OF
THIS, WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO
THE FAMILIES AND UVALDE GRIEVING
RIGHT NOW, EXPERIENCING
SOMETHING YOU EXPERIENCED AGAIN
TEN YEARS AGO?
>> WELL, I JUST WANT TO LET THEM
KNOW I DID EXPERIENCE WHAT THEY
ARE GOING THROUGH.
I SAT IN THE SANDY HOOK
FIREHOUSE FOR HOURS DECEMBER 14,
2012, WAITING FOR MY BROTHER TO
COME OUT OF THAT SCHOOL, AND HE
NEVER DID.
I KNOW THAT IS SOMETHING THAT
THEY ALL JUST WENT THROUGH.
IT IS THE HARDEST DAY OF YOUR
LIFE.
AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT AND
I HOPE ONE OR TWO OF THEM HERE
HERE’S THIS MESSAGE.
ALTHOUGH THIS IS THE DARKEST
MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE, YOU WILL BE
HAPPY AGAIN.
YOU WILL FIND A SENSE OF HOPE.
HERE SANDY HOOK JUST ABOUT EVERY
FAMILY THAT LOST SOMEONE THAT
DAY, LOST A LOVED ONE, HAS
STARTED A NONPROFIT OR A CHARITY
TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES
BETTER.
SO OUT OF DARKNESS CAN’T COME A
LOT OF LIGHT.
I KNOW THAT IS NOT SOMETHING AT
THE FOREFRONT OF THEIR MINDS
RIGHT NOW, BUT I KNOW THE
SANDY HOOK FAMILIES WILL BE HERE
TO SUPPORT THE TEXAS FAMILIES
WHEN THE TIME COMES.
>> Todd: BEAUTIFULLY SAID, JT.
AS FOR THE POLICY OF THIS ALL,
WE HAD A CONFIRMATION DURING AND
JOE BIDEN’S NOMINEE THE HEAD OF
THE ATF ADMITS HE CANNOT DEFINE
ASSAULT WEAPONS EVEN THOUGH HE
SUPPORTED A BAN ON ASSAULT
WEAPONS IN 2018.
WATCH.
>> I WAS A CANDIDATE.
I DID TALK ABOUT RESTRICTIONS ON
ASSAULT RIFLES BUT I HAVEN’T
WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF
DEFINING THAT TERM.
>> YOU ARE RUNNING FOR PUBLIC
OFFICE AND CALL FOR A BAN ON
ASSAULT WEAPONS BUT YOU DON’T
HAVE A DEFINITION FOR ASSAULT
WEAPONS?
>> Todd: JT COME OBVIOUSLY
YOU’VE BEEN INTIMATELY INVOLVED
WITH THIS DEBATE.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE DEBATE, ONE
AND TWO, HAVING THIS DEBATE SO
SOON AFTER A TRAGEDY LIKE THIS.
>> YEAH, OBVIOUSLY, TENSIONS ARE
HIGH AND YOU WILL RUN INTO A
DEBATE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING A
TRAGEDY LIKE THIS.
IT HAPPENED AFTER SANDY HOOK,
TOO, POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS PUT OUT
POLITICAL EMAILS A DAY AFTER.
IT IS UNFORTUNATE.
PEOPLE WILL DO IT, IT IS HUMAN
NATURE BUT IT IS UNFORTUNATE.
YOU CANNOT REALLY HAVE A DEBATE
IF YOU CANNOT DEFINE THE ISSUES.
IT SEEMS LIKE THEY CAN’T DEFINE
THE ISSUES RIGHT NOW.
I WILL SAY IN AMERICA WE HAVE
MORE CONS THAN PEOPLE.
GUNS AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL CAME
TO TERMS WITH, NOT EVERYONE BUT
I CAME TO TERMS AFTER THE
SHOOTING.
THERE IS 350 MILLION GUNS IN
AMERICA SO THEY ARE NOT GOING
ANYWHERE.
SO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS LOOK
PAST THAT AND FIND SOLUTIONS
THAT GO BEYOND THAT.
FOR ME, SAID IT THE OTHER DAY
PERFECTLY, HARD ONTO TARGET,
SOFTEN THE HEARTS.
RESOURCES FOR SCHOOLS TO HARDEN
AGAINST SCHOOL SHOOTINGS, WHICH
HERE IN SANDY HOOK WE HAVE THE
SAFER SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY THE
DAY AFTER THE SHOOTING.
NO ONE WAS THERE TO PROTECT MY
BROTHER THAT DAY.
I WISH THAT COULD HAVE BEEN
DIFFERENT.
ADDITIONALLY RESOURCES TO SOFTEN
THE HEART, HELP STUDENTS, GET TO
THE STUDENTS, THESE TROUBLED,
YOUNG TEENAGERS BEFORE THEY
COMMIT THE SHOOTINGS.
WE WENT THIS ATF NOMINEE ALSO
PREVIOUSLY SAID HE OPPOSES
ARMING TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS.
SHOULD WE HAVE SOME LEVEL OF
ARMED PRESENCE AT EVERY SINGLE
SCHOOL IN AMERICA?
>> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
I WILL TELL YOU WHAT, SANDY HOOK
IS A PRETTY LIBERAL TOWN.
AND WE HAVE ARMED GUARDS AND
LITTLE ANNEXED POLICE STATIONS
IN EVERY SCHOOL.
OKAY, SO WE KNOW HOW TO DO IT
HERE.
IT IS NOT POLITICAL HERE.
IT IS JUST A MATTER OF FACT THAT
THE KIDS NEED TO BE KEPT SAFE IN
SCHOOLS.
UNTIL WE CAN FIGURE OUT THIS
MENTAL CRISIS GOING ON IN OUR
COUNTRY, WHEN I HAVE KIDS I
DON’T WANT THEM TO GO TO A
SCHOOL UNPROTECTED LIKE
SANDY HOOK WAS THE DAY OF THE
SHOOTING.
>> Todd: PLEASE LET YOUR TOWN
BE THE MODEL FOR THE REST OF THE
COUNTRY, PLEASE.
BABIES LIVES ARE AT STAKE.
JT LEWIS WE APPRECIATE YOU
COMING ON THESE VERY DIFFICULT
MORNINGS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR