Wayne LaPierre reacts to Las Vegas tragedy, bump stock issue
NRA executive vice president speaks out about Americans' right to protection on 'Hannity.'
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," October 5, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: And this is a Fox News alert. And we are again reporting live tonight from Las Vegas. We are learning new information about mass murderer, Stephen Paddock. His motive tonight remains a mystery. But according to our reports, the gunman researched and scouted for possible attacks in Chicago and Boston and he did in fact -- he rented a room in Vegas overlooking a separate music festival just a week before carrying out his horrific rampage.
The Associated Press is also reporting that investigators, they are trying to determine whether he was planning a car bombing. Tonight, there are major questions that we need answers to. Also, Democrats, celebrities, members in the mainstream media, they continue to politicize this tragedy and push for gun control and more. Some are now even saying it's time to get rid of the Second Amendment altogether.
NRA executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre will react tonight. Also Newt Gingrich, he will weigh in on the impulse of the left to politicize this event before we have any facts or any information. Plus, in the aftermath of this tragedy, a heartwarming moment between President Trump and a shooting victim that is now going viral. We visited earlier today, Thomas Gunderson in the hospital.
He is the one that stood up to greet the President even after of course being shot in the leg. After meeting the President, he wrote on Facebook. 'I will never lie down when the president of this great country comes to shake my hand. There may be plenty of issues in this country but I will always respect my country. My president. My flag. Shot in the leg or not, I will stand to show my president the respect he deserves.'
We will have that interview for you a little bit later on the program. By the way, if you are associated with the NFL, I hope you are watching.
Plus, I also spoke with the hero doctorates that saved hundreds of lives after this Vegas shooting.
Tonight's very important news breaking opening Vegas monologue.
As authorities continue to search for a motive in the Vegas massacre, we are learning chilling new details about this investigation.
According to reports, Stephen Paddock may have been scouting out other potential mass shooting targets. In August he reportedly booked hotel room in Chicago. That overlooked the Lollapalooza Music Festival but never set foot in the city. Chicago police are telling Fox News that they believe that Stephen Paddock did in fact booked the room.
Also reports tonight that Paddock researched hotel rooms in Boston near Fenway Park where the Red Sox play. The Las Vegas Review-Journal, they are reporting that Paddock shot at jet fuel tanks nearby McCarran International Airport during this massacre. Two of the bullets hit one of the tanks and one bullet actually penetrated the tank.
Thankfully, that did not cause an explosion. And according to ABC News, Paddock was seen with a woman who is not his girlfriend in the days before the shooting. NBC News reporting the girlfriend, Marilou Danley, has now told investigators that Paddock would lie in bed moaning and screaming and according to Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, the weekend before this mass shooting, Paddock rented and checked into a Las Vegas high-rise condo that overlooked yet another separate music festival.
Sheriff Lombardo also revealed last night that he thinks Paddock had to have received help and planned to survive this attack. The sheriff added that 50 pounds of an explosive that's called Tannerite was found in the suspect's car. Along with 1,600 rounds. The AP is also reporting that in addition to other possible planned attacks, Paddock may have also plotted a car bombing.
That information is beyond troubling. And tonight we have questions that need to be answered. Who if anybody helped Paddock carry out this operation? What was Paddock planning to do with a car full of explosives that could be used to make bombs? How did Paddock plan to escape this shooting and why did Paddock rent rooms in Chicago and Vegas during other concerts? Was he planning to do this multiple times and then trying to escape?
And the most important question today, of course it remains unanswered. Why? What would motivate this individual to commit such evil, atrocities against innocent men, women, and children? We need answers to all these questions. Tonight, the left liberal celebrities in the media, they continue to play politics, they're trying to use this tragedy to use in advance their gun control agenda.
Tonight, some are even calling for the shredding of the Constitution and the eradicating or our Second Amendment and our right to keep and to bear arms. Now, take a look at this headline from the so-called conservative New York Times writer Bret Stephens who is also a contributor over at that conspiracy so-called news network, MSNBC. Quote, 'Repeal the Second Amendment.'
Then Stevens goes on to write, quote, 'Repealing the amendment may seem like political mission impossible today but in the era of same-sex marriage, it's worth recalling that most great causes began as improbable ones. Gun ownership should never be outlawed. Just as it isn't outlawed in Britain and Australia but it doesn't need a blanket constitutional protection either.'
Yes. Good luck in those countries getting a gun. And as we have showed you in great detail last night, banning guns does not prevent crime. Just the opposite. More guns prevent crime. More guns save lives and by the way, it appears these people on the left don't care about the Constitution. All banning guns will do is prevent good people from having the ability to protect themselves and their families from those that do us harm.
Unlike a lot of these celebrities and politicians, they don't have armed guards and they don't have big houses with expensive security systems and people out there protecting them and bodyguards everywhere they go. So, if people like Michael Moore, Bret Stephens, you really believe in repealing the Second Amendment, here's a simple question I need you to answer.
God forbid for anybody, someone breaks into your home. Well, you have your family, your wife, your children. Would you want a gun? Would you want to have been trained in the use of a firearm and its safety to protect your wife and family? What Brett Stevens is doing is shameful. He's using this massacre here in Vegas to push a liberal agenda. One that is not constitutional. And it's pretty obvious at this point that he's only pretending to be a conservative.
By the way, that's a New York Times conservative. He isn't. Hollywood liberal Michael Moore, he wants to repeal what he now calls the ancient and outdated Second Amendment and put in place European-style restrictions that essentially ban you, the American people, from buying arms to protect yourself and your families. These Hollywood liberals like Moore such huge hypocrites when it comes to the issue.
How many live in those gated communities? How many can afford private security? How may buy the best and most expensive security systems but yet they would disarm law-abiding citizens who can only rely on themselves to protect their families? You want an example, take a look at this video security from the Emmys last year. You the American taxpayer, you put at least some of the bill to keep these prima donna celebrities safe at their self-congratulatory red carpet award shows one after another.
Security was extra tight last year because of terror threats. Take a look at some of these headlines. 'No expenses spared to keep the celebrities safe and happy.' Variety: 'Oscars, LAPD, plans for multiple scenarios with three peers of security.' Deadline: 'Hollywood, Golden Globes, ramped up security.' Leading to longer waits for the celebrities. Here's another headline from Hollywood. Emmys security will be severely in hand after London subway attack.
As you can see, it is beyond the height of hypocrisy. Here's another thing that these people on the left and members of this biased, abusive press in this country will never tell you. The left doesn't believe in the Second Amendment. You heard Michael Moore say it. He thinks part of the Constitution is outdated. It is why every time tragedy strikes, the left races and rushes to judgment. Pushing an agenda. Do you have a right to protect yourself, your family, your wives, your children? These new examples from the liberal mainstream media, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANIE RUHLE, MSNBC: Now, we have to turn to renewed calls. Shouts, begs for gun restrictions in the wake of the Las Vegas mass shooting.
KATY TUR, MSNBC: The Second Amendment is there for a reason. You can own your gun but it does not extend to allowing an individual to own 47 guns, high-powered semiautomatic weapon guns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, MSNBC: The idea now that they are going to rouse themselves to action on bump stocks. That is putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg. There's so much more that could be done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, MSNBC: If you want to buy a gun, a handgun, a long gun, do you want to buy 49 of them? Feel free. But you also going to have to buy an insurance policy. Minimum of say, 25 grand.
CHRIS CILLIZZA, CNN: Ninety percent of the public, Democrats and Republicans favor closing any and all private sale and gun show loopholes that exist.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN: So, I asked Sarah Sanders the question, is the President, does he value the First Amendment as much as he values the Second Amendment?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Watch what Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi -- oh, doesn't she have security? What she had to say about bump stocks. Now, the attachment that Stephen Paddock did used to make a semiautomatic rifle move at a faster pace. Fire more like an automatic weapon. Watch what she says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIFORNIA: Many people who are serious gun owners say, I have a background check, they should have a background check too. In an event like that, so what? They're going to say, do you give them, bump stock, it's going to be a slippery slope. I certainly hope so. But I don't think bump stocks should be a substitute for the background check. And by the way, the background check is a compromise. There are many more things members want to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Nancy Pelosi, she's not even trying to hide the left's true intentions. They want to ban all guns. Democrats, the media, which is so corrupt and abusively so and ideological, what they conveniently not telling you, it was the Obama administration that originally approved the sale of those bump stocks back in 2010. If Democrats, you're serious about looking into bump stocks? Okay, let's do it.
The NRA, they came out today and so those products should be subject to regulation. Let's have the debate. Let's come up with common sense solutions but don't take away the rights of law abiding citizens. And what the left should not be doing is using a tragedy while people are still in the hospital and parents, I was there today. They are waiting and hoping and praying that their children will recover from the injuries.
The left has their rigid radical anti-gun agenda. And they are wanting to disarm millions of law-abiding American citizens and that would prevent them from being able to protect themselves, their children, their wives, their families.
Here with reaction now, National Rifle Association executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre. Wayne, it's good to see you again sir, how are you?
WAYNE LAPIERRE, NRA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CEO: Good evening, Sean. We are in shock and mourning probably like everyone else out there. It's an unimaginable tragedy. A lot of our members are out there. We have friends that had family there that were wounded. And we've just been praying like everybody else in the country for this unimaginable tragedy. That being said, I mean --
The other side has been so outright trying to politicize this tragedy that we did feel the need to speak out today on this whole bump stock issue. You know, I for years have tried to correct the media on semi-automatics. When they said they were fully automatic firearms, when Dianne Feinstein, and Schumer and all the rest of them said they were machine guns -- for years I set the record straight.
And then the Obama administration a couple years ago approves this device called a bump stock. If you take a look at it, I mean, any look at it, it takes a semiautomatic firearm and it makes it perform like a fully automatic firearm. It makes it function like one. And what the NRA has said is we ought to take a look at that and see if it is in compliance with federal law and it's worthy of additional regulation. That being said, we didn't say ban, we didn't say confiscate.
HANNITY: Wayne, in a lot of ways, people like Brett Stevens and Michael Moore, Nancy Pelosi, they are just revealing what their true intentions have always been. And that is they really don't want the average citizen -- they don't believe in the constitution. They don't believe in the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. And I just pointed out the great hypocrisy -- most of these people, they have security guards. They have their fortresses at their house. They have people at the self- congratulatory event like Oscars and Emmys. The average Americans has one -- usually they have themselves to rely on. Great hypocrisy or no?
LAPIERRE: Yes. One thing the American public always knows is that the elites always protect themselves and they always protect themselves with guns and then they lectured the American public how you shouldn't do that. But in the heart of the American public all over this country, they see these monsters and they don't want to be alone out there. They want to be able to detect themselves.
One of the things that happened in Las Vegas when they said shelter in place, the first thing that came up when they were sheltered, they said to somebody have a gun. We saw it with the hurricanes this past week in Texas and Florida, in places like that. Louisiana. When the water is rising, when it goes dark, the American public values its freedom to protect themselves and now you have Dianne Feinstein and Schumer in the media to get this horrible tragedy and they want to piggybacked their whole agenda to ban guns, restrict law-abiding people for the last 20 years. This circus on the back of this tragedy in then active. And what the NRA is fighting for is reciprocity, enforced existing federal gun laws, protect the American's rights to protect themselves.
HANNITY: You know, Wayne, when you crunch the numbers and you look at Chicago and the homicide rate which we've talked an awful. We've even actually one night scrolled the names of all the people. Nobody was paying attention. This is Obama's, you know, adopted hometown. You know, it's like one Vegas massacre a month. Thirty nine hundred people killed in Chicago while Obama's president, 18,000 shootings in just the last six years of his presidency. Where were these liberal voices then? I did not hear word out of them?
LAPIERRE: That's right. These monsters that were doing that in Chicago, they don't care about the law. What you've got to do is you got to go in and take them off the street and put them in prison. So, I mean, if legislation work, Boston massacre would not have happened. San Bernardino where California has every gun law you can imagine on the books. That wouldn't have happened.
In Paris where they have complete gun bans, that wouldn't have happened. Brussels, all over the world where the people are disarmed. These monsters. These bad guys go about their business. They could care less what laws are on the books. And the good people want to protect themselves. They want to defend themselves. That's why we are fighting for reciprocity. And they want to preserve this freedom that they know the elites protect themselves and yet, it would take away from the honest people. And the average people. And by gosh, the NRA is not going to let that happen.
HANNITY: Wayne, the NRA gets a bad rap and I am a proud member. But it's just the fact. How many people a year do you teach gun security and safety too? How many people a year have protected the lives of loved ones because they had the ability to defend themselves with a weapon?
LAPIERRE: Well, that's exact right, Sean. I mean, we teach millions of people, we spend millions of dollars every year teaching people safety and responsibility. And this Hollywood crowd makes billions a year every single day teaching gun irresponsibility to the American public. The hypocrisy is beyond belief. They criticize me for saying, people ought to be able to protect themselves from murderers, rapists, and robbers.
And then they make billions to pick thing every night those same situations. The hypocrisy coming out of Hollywood is beyond belief. The American public does not buy into it. The American public wants to protect -- wants to be able to protect themselves from these elitists. Protect themselves with the very firearms they would ban for the average citizen.
HANNITY: And I urged people, if they want to learn safety and security of firearms, the NRA does help a lot of people. Wayne, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.
When we come back on this busy breaking news night, Newt Gingrich will join us. Also we had the honor earlier today, we went to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. We met one of the shooting survivors, Thomas Gunderson. You saw the video of him meeting the President yesterday. It went viral after Thomas got out of his bed despite being shot in the leg, to meet and honor the President. He says, there was no way he would have laid down when the President came to shake his hand.
Also, we had a chance to interview the doctors that saved hundreds of lives, heroes you want to meet. Tonight on HANNITY from Vegas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PELOSI: Many people who are serious gun owners say, I have a background check. They should have a background check too. But we can't, you know, that's -- so what? They're going to say, if you give them bump stock, it's going to be a slippery slope. I certainly hope so. But I don't think a bump stock should be a substitute for the background check. And by the way, the background check is a compromise. There are many more things members want to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right. That was House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi earlier today hinting that she hopes a Congressional ban on the bump stock attachment would be just part of a further gun control larger legislation.
Before we get to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, we had a friend stopped by. Hi, what is your name? Reagan? And how old are you?
REAGAN: I am two.
HANNITY: You're two. And what's your friend's name?
(INAUDIBLE)
HANNITY: What's his name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Georgie.
HANNITY: Georgie. All right. Can you give me five? Ow! Again. Ow! And your dad made this, he is crushing the mainstream media, that is New York Times. Oh my!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You inspired me sir.
HANNITY: Well, thank you all. Darling, very nice to meet you. You are so pretty and nice. Can you shake my hand? Do you want to give me five again? Ow! Okay. Thank you.
All right. Here with reaction. A little unusual introduction is the author of the best-selling book 'Understanding Trump.' He also has a new class teaching online and a former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. It's on my website Hannity.com. I know that's not the usual introduction, Mr. Speaker. But I could not exist.
As you've been watching this, I want to get your take on everything. Your take on the politicizing of it. Your take on those that literally have no respect for our constitution nor any understanding for what real Americans live under. The threat that they have. Home invasions, crime, murder, rape that goes on in this country at times.
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Well, let me divide it into three different things. First, I frankly still and I said this to you on your radio show, I still have not fully got my head around what happened. I am a little surprised. We haven't heard more from his Facebook, from his tweets, from his emails. I mean, it strikes me that there's a lot of stuff that's not coming out. And I'd be very curious to learn what is the police learning that we are not learning?
So, one, I just don't get what actually happened in terms of the killer and what drove him and why it happened. He was clearly premeditated and thought through and then deliberately done. Second, I think that the reaction from the left is pathetically normal. They know they have a chant. They go back to their chant. Nothing they've chant about what would have changed what happened in Las Vegas.
And third as you just pointed out, you know, the Second Amendment is there for a very powerful reason. And in my course defending America, I have an entire section of course on the Second Amendment. Why the founding fathers put it in. Why they thought it was the heart of our freedom. And why they would not give it up. And I think nobody on the left gets that anymore. They live in a lala land where they trust government and where all the bureaucrats are good guys and so forth.
But I think also as Wayne LaPierre was pointing out, the fact is, we live in a dangerous country. And I was intrigued with your numbers. But have never quite heard before. If you look at the disaster of the Obama administration in terms of public safety, particularly in Chicago, it is staggering that we've never had a national debate about the failure of the system in Chicago to protect innocent people.
By the way, virtually all of them are African-American. And you would have thought of Black Lives Matter cared about black lives. One of the places they would have really targeted would have been Southside, Chicago. And the terrible death rate that occurs there and yet we cannot have an honest, open conversation about these kind of practical problems.
HANNITY: Well, Mr. Speaker, we know the answer because we know what Rudy Giuliani did in New York. And he brought the murder rate down from about 2,500 to less than 500 a year through targeted tough policing. Targeted, meaning the areas that needed more policing.
GINGRICH: Right.
HANNITY: You know, when 3,900 people die in the course of Obama's presidency and he mentions that three or four times at most, I'm thinking there's something radically wrong. Or 18,000 shootings in just the last six years of his presidency, why the silence there? We ran the names of the victims on this show. We scrolled them. It went on for the whole show.
GINGRICH: Yes, I'm actually trying to work on how to put this together into an understandable package. You ought to look at the number of children for example in Baltimore who failed their eighth grade Math and Science test. About 13 percent past, 87 percent failed. If you were to add up the eight years of failure under Obama, with no effort to save the lives of these young people.
If you are to look at what you just pointed out at Southside Chicago. But by the way, there is a small part of St. Louis that is more violent than any other area in the United States. In fact, it's about as violent as the most dangerous cities in Honduras, which are routinely ranked as the most dangerous in the world. For some reason, none of this penetrates the elite news media. It does not fit their particular narrative.
HANNITY: You know, Mr. Speaker, I've had a chance to spend some time today at the hospital and later on, we actually interview doctors. They set up like a military triage. And they saved hundreds of lives on this night. And it was all hands on deck. And let them explain it for them. There is this young man. Thomas Gunderson is his name. And I met him and I met his parents and he is the young man that stood for the President even though he had been shot and the like.
And I was thinking about comments that you would made about the NFL and taking in me. And the people that fought, bled, and died fighting under our flag. And I was thinking, you know, this young man could really teach a lot of people a lesson here. And you've got to wonder if maybe now we will remember what police do for us. We remember it on 9/11, and these policemen been going to this 32nd floor and facing an automatic weapon. And this young man will stand for his president, for his country and his flag. Do you think the NFL learns from this?
GINGRICH: I don't know, they might. You know, I saw the most stunning single thing I saw on social media was a veteran from Afghanistan who had lost his leg at the knee. And who posted a picture and said, for all the guys at the NFL, this is what taking a knee for your country means. And I thought wow, what a distinction between a guy who had risked his life for America, wearing a uniform with the American flag, who was still proud to be an American. And these guys are making millions of dollars a year who don't mind disrespecting the National Anthem and the American flag. I thought it was the most devastating single thing I saw about the whole NFL controversy.
HANNITY: You know, I want to go back to a minute to what's going on here. It seems almost impossible in this day and age of social media, this enigma, this man is like a ghost. We can't find out anything about him. And it just makes me wonder, does your gut tell you -- my gut tells me there is something much, much deeper going on here, that we haven't even begun to touch the surface on. Your thoughts.
GINGRICH: I don't understand what the FBI and the local police are doing. You go back and look at other occasions where you had killings, Santa Barbara. We begin to learn things about their social media. I don't get any sense of these guy's social media. I don't have any sense of his political contributions. I don't have any sense of who he emailed with or what websites he went to. I don't understand the total absence of understanding what motivated him, what created this moment. He was deeply enough determined that he went in there, four days in advance. Took all of those weapons in there. He set up cameras into the hallway. There's something that doesn't match up here.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: Yeah. All right, Mr. Speaker. Thank you as always for being with us. We appreciate it. All right. When we come back, earlier today, I went to the University Medical Center here in southern Nevada and met Thomas Gunderson. He was shot Sunday night during the massacre. He met the President. And the video of him greeting the president went viral, because he refuse to stay in his bed, despite his leg injury, to shake the President's hand. You will meet tonight the hero doctors that have saved hundreds of lives. Incredible people. 'Hannity' continues tonight from Vegas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to 'Hannity.' reporting from Las Vegas tonight. Yesterday President Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump flew to Las Vegas and met with the victims of this massacre. One of the survivors that they spoke to was Thomas Gunderson. He was shot in the leg on Sunday night but despite his injury, Thomas made sure he got out of bed to greet the president. He explained us on Facebook. He said I will never lie down when the president of this great country comes to shake my hand. There may be plenty of issues in this country, but I will always respect my country, my president, my flag. Shot in the leg or not, I will stand to show my president the respect he deserves. Earlier today, we did in fact have the honor to go to University Medical Center in Nevada. We spoke with Thomas Gunderson. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Thomas.
THOMAS GUNDERSON, LAS VEGAS SHOOTING SURVIVOR: How's it going buddy?
HANNITY: How are you?
GUNDERSON: Doing well.
HANNITY: I know I'm not the president.
(LAUGHTER)
How are you doing?
GUNDERSON: I'm doing all right.
HANNITY: Can you believe -- the president comes here yesterday. I am very, very sorry. How are you feeling?
GUNDERSON: I am OK. I mean can't quite walk yet but I'm going to get there.
HANNITY: Was at the President or the first lady that got you to walk?
GUNDERSON: The first lady, if I am being honest. I told my family, the president of the United States comes in this room, no matter who the President is, you stand up and you shake their hand and show them the respect you deserve.
HANNITY: It's a little bit hard when you were shot in the leg.
GUNDERSON: It wasn't easy. It wasn't like us to the whole time. I just wanted to show them respect.
HANNITY: That went viral and I agree with you. 100 percent. You were out having fun, I love country music too. We were at the concert. You remember what happened.
GUNDERSON: I remember everything. When it first started going off, everybody thought it was fake. I shouldn't say fake, it sounded like it was speakers staff were somebody sending off firecrackers. Even Jason Aldean played for another 15-20 seconds. The moment he started to run, the crowd started screaming. That is when I realized what was going on.
HANNITY: Where was the view in relation to the stage?
GUNDERSON: Pretty far. The east side of the stage. There were a lot of railing and bars and stuff like that in between. I was probably one of the last people to get hit. I spent the entire 20 minutes in there. Listen, I think everybody in their -- is a hero. They did what they had to do. I hear more and more stories about amazing things people did. Amazing thigs.
We did that. At that point, -- it seemed not that it was over but that everybody was kind of out of there. The rounds were still going off. We weren't seeing any gunshots. I think our minds were so focused on getting people out or finding him that we didn't see the bodies around us. We looked at each other and we said oh, it's fake. Someone's messing with us.
About ten of us said that. I stood out in the open. People that were looking for help. At that point, I looked behind me. I saw gunfire coming from the hotel. As perfectly line up -- flashes.
HANNITY: You saw it?
GUNDERSON: I thought it was a completely different floor. I thought it was about 15 floors up. It could have been the reflection.
HANNITY: Yeah, the way it set up.
GUNDERSON: My mind was like uh oh and boom, shot through the leg.
HANNITY: What is that feeling?
GUNDERSON: I can't tell what everybody else felt. For me, I can feel it. I knew I was shot. My body took over. I hit the ground. There is blood everywhere. For me, I didn't really feel it. A gentle and going nuts.
HANNITY: Talk about meeting the President.
GUNDERSON: Honesty I'm so blessed. It did not hit an artery or a bone. The nerves, the muscles were pretty turn out. I can't lift my foot to 90 degrees yet.
HANNITY: But you did lift your foot for Melania Trump.
(LAUGHTER)
GUNDERSON: My foot wouldn't.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNITY: I'm getting this taped. You got competition.
(LAUGHTER)
The President walks in. The first lady walks in to see you. What was that like?
GUNDERSON: Very surreal. Very juts honoring. I heard he just flew in from Puerto Rico. Literally just came from there. I don't care what everybody has to say to me. He cared. He wanted to listen to me. He wanted to shake my hand and thanked me and it was so awesome. And Melania was so sweet. To me it felt like they genuinely care about the people here and what happened.
HANNITY: I can tell you the whole country is praying for you and all these other families. There are some families that lost their loved ones. This is a severe injury.
GUNDERSON: I'm so blessed. Honestly, I got off the easy and if that is the one thing like the one method I could send a people, there are some people that lost loved ones. Show them support. They are going to need it. There are a lot of positivity going around and I hope people can focus on that. I've seen an incredible amount of love.
HANNITY: You know it is like life changing for you?
GUNDERSON: It is.
HANNITY: This is a moment where you will never be the same.
GUNDERSON: it is true. I am trying to do my best to use this stage to give a good message. I want people to know that. I happen to be in this hospital, I happened to be able to meet the President.
HANNITY: You know it's really good for America. I want to say this to you, when you hear somebody say I got my friends to safety, let me help other people. That shows how great we are. This country is great and people like you make it great because he put other people out of yourself.
GUNDERSON: Everybody in there was great. Everyone did what they had to do. Everyone responded the way they need to respond. They should feel honored for what they did.
HANNITY: About an hour before Jason got on stage -- Big and Rich, everybody had their cell phone out for God bless America. I will show you the video if you haven't seen it. Everyone's together. And then you've got a big political fight in the country. Does that bother you when you see that?
GUNDERSON: No, I'm not going to give into that. Obviously, my video has gone viral. There's a lot of comments. Probably 80 - 90 percent are beautiful comments of support. And then there are some just horrific comments. I'm reading every single one of them and I'm not going to give into that.
HANNITY: I get about 60 percent negative.
(LAUGHTER)
GUNDERSON: I feel for you. You respond in love. There's nothing they can do without.
HANNITY: Meeting people like you, it inspires me and reminds me of some of the military guys. I'm sure in the days that you're going to be laid up here a little bit, you obviously are getting back on your feet. If not, we will call the first lady and say Melania, can you help?
(LAUGHTER)
But they go through this every day. It makes you appreciate.
GUNDERSON: The first thing I did was text my marine buddy. Can. He is an awesome man. The first thing I did was text him and talk to him. He is gone through this multiple times. I wanted to talk to him because there's no one in the world I respect more than our military. So those are our heroes, for sure.
HANNITY: They give us the freedom to go to these concerts.
GUNDERSON: Absolutely. I feel special because of that. Those are the real heroes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Thomas is an incredible young man. When we come back, his parents, the worst thing that can happen, the call you get. When we were at the University Medical Center of southern Nevada, we spoke to the hospitals CEO. Two of the trauma doctors that saved hundreds of lives that day. Also tonight, we are ongoing -- a candlelight vigil underway for Las Vegas metropolitan police officer that was killed during Sunday's massacre.
Take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to 'Hannity.' reporting from Las Vegas tonight. Earlier today while at the University Medical Center of southern Nevada, I spoke to Thomas Gunderson's parents. This is your worst nightmare, that call. Gary and Dottie. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: The worst nightmare of a parent.
DOTTIE GUNDERSON, MOTHER OF THOMAS GUNDERSON: Absolutely.
HANNITY: You get the call.
D. GUNDERSON: Before I got the call, I was watching Fox News and that is how I saw there was shooting at the concert. I screamed running for my phone.
HANNITY: You knew he was there?
D. GUNDERSON: I knew he was there. There is a text message from a stranger saying your son wants you to know he is ok. He is on the way to the hospital. I didn't know, what had that mean? Has he been shot? Was he trampled? I have no idea.
HANNITY: That was the last time you are letting him go to Vegas, right?
(LAUGHTER)
D. GUNDERSON: I wish.
HANNITY: That is your worst story.
GARY GUNDERSON, FATHER OF THOMAS GUNDERSON: Terrifying. I watched the TV for a few minutes before I get another answer. And they said there was a lot of fatalities by the stage. At that point, you just sink.
HANNITY: What was it meet like to meet the President and the first lady?
D. GUNDERSON: Oh my gosh. They are genuinely amazing people that really care. You can tell they cared. Absolutely. It was an honor.
G. GUNDERSON: He was comical. Such a fun guy. It was amazing.
HANNITY: You've known him for a couple of minutes.
G. GUNDERSON: I know. He was genuine. I met his cook outside and he said he wouldn't see, you will see how genuine he really is. I can't tell you how it is but you will believe me.
HANNITY: A cook? All he eats is Wendy's, pizza, and Kentucky fried chicken. I know because I've been on the road with him.
When your son took the step yesterday, what are you thinking?
D. GUNDERSON: He said he will get up when the president comes in. I thought, we will see, because he haven't been up since and he wasn't before. When he got up, I was surprised but the President helped him up, too. He is a big guy.
HANNITY: I know it's the worst moment. Then you got to see the strength and character of the young man that you raised. You should be so proud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Amazing people. When we come back, you don't want to miss this. The CEO of the University Medical Center of southern Nevada and two of the doctors that saved hundreds of lives. What they experienced that night. Also, tonight a candlelight vigil is being held for Las Vegas metropolitan police officer. He was killed during Sunday's massacre. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and of course his family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to 'Hannity' reporting tonight from Las Vegas. Earlier today, while we were in the University Medical Center of southern Nevada. We spoke with the hospital's CEO and two of the heroes, the trauma doctors that saved so many lives. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right. You are the CEO of the hospital.
MASON VAN HOUWELING, UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, CEO: Chief executive officer here, UMC.
HANNITY: The only level one trauma center in the entire state?
VAN HOUWELING: Correct. We are the level one trauma center for the state of Nevada. The highest level care of the state.
HANNITY: Hi, doctor.
VAN HOUWELING: Syed Saquib.
HANNITY: Very nice to meet you. We met in the hall. First thing you said, you got to lose weight, 'Hannity.'
SYED SAQUIB, UMC TRAUMA SURGEON: Not at all.
HANNITY: We watch as a nation -- we are in all of what you all were able to do to help save all these lives. From your perspective, you actually planned for this numerous times a year.
VAN HOUWELING: We do, we drill often. We have comprehensive plans. We had the Orlando regional health team come to speak to us. About lessons learned from the pulse nightclub shooting. We took a lot of those lessons and apply them at UMC. It was very helpful.
HANNITY: You never think it's going to happen.
VAN HOUWELING: We plan for it and never expected to happen, but we are ready and a lot more lives would have been lost if we did not do those drills throughout the year.
HANNITY: An amazing story of saving lives. Dr. where were you at the time?
SAQUIB: I was actually on call.
HANNITY: Here?
SAQUIB: Yes I was here so a little after 10:00 p.m., we were notified that we had a mass casualty situation coming from the Vegas strip. Still wrapping up her day shift, she was still in house. I made two phone calls to my backup surgeon that night. And our chairman who you saw with the president yesterday. We got everybody involved and implement that our mass casualty plan in place. It was really all hands on deck. Bring in all providers from the medical field coming in. Very quickly we were in control of the situation. It was very busy, no doubt. We were in control from the get-go.
HANNITY: We were talking in the hall, doctor. You compared it to a combat zone.
BRANDON SNOOK, UMC TRAUMA SURGEON: Yes, I am in the air force. I am a colonel in charge of the smart program which is a cooperative program.
HANNITY: Colonel or doctor?
SNOOK: Doctor is fine. Cooperative program we have with UMC and the School of Medicine. Medics that come over from the air force actually work here. That day I was on call. Started as a backup call. I just finished up and my phone rang and I came back.
HANNITY: All hands on deck. Being the level one trauma center, you get the most difficult cases. The people that were more severely injured were all brought here.
SNOOK: Yes. The patients that came, these are injuries that we don't, we see frequently here but we don't see them at this volume. We have about 100 patients or so.
VAN HOUWELING: 104 that night they came in. On top of our very busy trauma center that was already full that evening. The team did a great job. It really inspired on the professionalism and skill.
HANNITY: I just want to go through who is here. Who needs immediate care? Maybe we can get them stable and that we will get back to you? You really prioritize very quickly.
VAN HOUWELING It is called triage process. The team did a great job, setting up front in the hospital to be able to group patients to the appropriate level of care, that really helped manage the situation.
HANNITY: I thought at some point, I'm sure you are on adrenaline. All your training kicks in. And you get home, does it hit you what you just went through?
SAQUIB: It still hasn't hit me, to be honest. I am aware of the tragedy here. For the first two nights, I really been focused on my patients. Tried to provide the best possible care and stay in the moment. Probably in the next couple days, I will have more time to reflect on the significance of what happened here.
HANNITY: From my perspective, I've now been in the hospital and talking to a lot of people and parents and your patients. You are also appreciative - they are also appreciative of you and everyone in this hospital for what you've done for them. No doubt you've saved a lot of lives that night. I speak for a lot of people in this audience. Thank you for the great work you did in saving this lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Amazing people. We are out of time. Full complete investigation tomorrow night, I promise. Stay tune, Brian Kilmeade is next. We will see you back here tomorrow night.
Content and Programming Copyright 2017 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2017 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox