hour. i'm thomas drayton in new york. "america tonight" is next. thanks for watching. on "america tonight", the weekend edition. raising terror at home. how a much-loved son found himself pulled to the other side of the world and into a world of extremist fighters before his mother even realised it. >> he said he couldn't come home, he finally found a purpose in life. he was where he belonged. he wasn't coming home. >> investigators warn the bid to radicalize a new generation is

reaching into communities across america. >> i don't buy into it. there's somebody actively talking to them. >> sheila macvicar brings us an exclusive interview with a mother who lost her child and who fears many more are at risk. also ahead - getting a bang out of their vacations. how america's island paradise was the tart for gun tourists -- target for gun tourists. >> what do you offer the tourists, safe and fun. >> even in wi key key, adam mayes found reason to worry. >> do you have concerns that the gun ranges are operating lawfully. >> i called one, asking about the age requirement. they said "we don't have one." "america tonight" indepth on gun tourism more than 150 years after his death at gettysburg, an american hero gets his nation adds highest honour.

the story behind the celebration, and a woman who led the fight to get alonso his due hello, welcome to "america tonight". the weekend edition, i'm when. it may be hard to understand how children raised in safe, comfortable homes in the west get pulled into extremism. it spawns attacks across the world. case in work michael bebo, shocking security in canada when he shot and killed a guard and opened fire in parliamentary building. he wanted to fight jihad. he's one of many. sheila macvicar has a story of another canadian mother who lost her child to the draw of

extremism. >> first picture with santa ever. >> reporter: look at the bow tie, he's too cute. christian has packed most of the memories of her son damien into the photoal bum. >> that's when he was 12. >> reporter: what was he into? >> anything and everything. >> reporter: growing up in calgary, damien was bright, into school, sports, cars. as a teenager things changed. >> i think he was trying to find where he fits, and it was difficult. there was struggles. once he hit about 15, he kept more to himself, leaving the house less. >> at 16, damien dropped out of school. he became reclusive and depressed. counselling didn't help. >> the day after his 17th birthday he attempted to take his own life.

oh, boy. we didn't see it coming. he seemed like he was getting better. >> reporter: soon after her son converted to islam. she was relieved. >> after all the turmoil we had been through, the emotional state, depression, when he converted to islam, he found a piece in him. he would sit with the family. i could see that i would relax. >> reporter: for three years damien seemed happy, working, at peace. then he moved to a new apartment. and that brought him to this downtown mosque. >> he must have met new people. that's when things started to change. >> reporter: how did they change? >> there's more agitation within him. he started talking about 9/11

conspiracy theories, and other countries and the wars that they had there. there is damien raiding the pantry and fridge. >> reporter: this is the last video, drifting around the edges of a family halloween party. the next month he travelled to the middle east. he told his mother he was studying linguistics in egypt. >> that is damien, long-lost damien. >> reporter: instead the troubled 22-year-old went to fight alongside extremists in syria, joigeing al qaeda-linking nusra. she had no idea until the spy agency came knocking. >> reporter: people came into the house asking you questions. i said "i don't know why you are asking the questions, damien is not in the country, he went to egypt to study, he's not a concern." they said "yeah, he's of

concern. we have been watching him for years, and we suspect he's gone to syria, not egypt." >> reporter: and we now know that many other foreign fighters came from this busy city in western canada. many attending the same downtown mosque. all of them were canadian citizens. understanding what took them on their journey from this city of under a million to the foot of the rockies to the battlefields of syria, understanding their journey to radicalization is key to preventing others following the same path. >> it was set by someone sw an arm on their soldier. >> calgary police chief rick hansen says there's a problem in the city, a human problem. >> i don't buy into "i went to the internet, checked the internet, liked what he said, went to be radicalized. i don't buy that." >> reporter: in the era of

social media, there's a lot of focus on the internet, and radical groups like nusra and i.s.i.l. devote resources to split propaganda and recruit videos. >> they can be introduced... >> reporter: this 40 year veteran believes the internet alone does not create would-be terrorists. >> you need someone pulling the strings, encouraging them, guiding them down the highway of indoctrination so all this normalizes in the head. he said "i want to do this now. >> have you found that person or those people here in your city. >> no. we know that they are there. we are told that they are there. it has been members of the islamic community that said you better be careful. there's people up there that have been lying to you. they are recruiting. they are giving messages, and we need to pull together. >> in your city. >> yes, to be alert to this.

>> reporter: online there is evidence of who the recruiter is, someone calling himself abdo de jana. his real name and location is known. damien had been listening to sermons of a preacher, identified as a recruiter. he said he gave him books, argued away his doubts and accompanied him. saying we put our trust in ally. a recent government report highlighted 130 individuals with canadian connections who were abroad, adding it's possible that some returnees plan and carry out terrorist attacks in canada. >> i have to tell you there's no city in this country that is immune to this. >> reporter: probably no city in the west. >> i totally 100% agree. >> how to combat it. >> first. recognising that rad illegalism

comes the -- radicalism comes from the same places of trouble. >> when you profile kids deviating off a path and getting into trouble. whatever it looks like, the motivation is frequently the same. they are alienated from mainstream and look for ways that they can feel part of something bigger than themselves. >> his force is washing on crisis intervention with local muslim community leaders. >> what else do you want to achieve out of life. >> like criminal psychologist maddie cascar. >> the police and our organisation want to reduce and prevent crime. we have a great goal. joining programs, being connected to other youth, having connections to positive and meaningful adults in your life. all those factors reduce the risk of crime. >> gall quarry's police forces working in schools with kids. the parties have been missing until now, has been intervention

with post high school kids who go off the rails. >> there needs to be secondary intervention, parents, family, friends see it. they realised something is happening, but where do you turn to. that hugistic piece is missing. support that she wishes she had. >> i was not comfortable with it. without knowing that there was reason to have concern, you think he's young, he's going head deep. he'll level itself off. >> i'll save it and send it. >> booud roe is starting a website based on a german programme called high-at, designed to deradicalize neo-nazi youth. and with a group of women that went through the same thing, she learnt how similar her story is. >> definitely a common thread, narrative. they are coached.

there's no way you can tell me that the kids from all these countries say "we'll study in saudi arabia and egypt", without being coached. that's not a coincidence. >> when she figure outside what was going on, booud roe attempted to reach out to her son. it was too late. >> he said he couldn't come home, he finally found a purpose in life, he found where he belonged. he wasn't coming home. that was going to be his new home. he hoped he could stay in contact. >> reporter: she never it heard from damien again. he was killed in syria in january. >> if i can help a family not live the terror, the pain, the stress, everything that we had to go 30, and save one life,

it's all worth it. i have nothing left of damien. the best i can do is something good in his memory when we return - when a vacation in paradise becomes a real blast. gun tourism in hawaii. and why critics warn parents should think twice. >> i just wish they would do a better job of parenting. i think it's a wrong message to send to children. that they want to do that, and that they are glorifying firearms.

>> she giggles everytime she steps into the revolving door of justice >> she became legendary... >> the finer the store, the bigger the challenge >> al jazeera america presents the life and crimes of doris payne

on vacation we do things we wouldn't do at home. sleep later, eat too much, try out something we couldn't or

wouldn't do in every day lives, which explains the appeal of an increasingly popular tourist attraction in the nation's island paradise. in waikiki, america's tonight's adam may found critics of gun fun in the sun. [ ♪ music ] >> reporter: it is paradise on earth. waikiki beach in honolulu. where surfers catch a wave, couples find romance, and some tourists... [ gunfire ] ..~ fire guns. every day on streets in front of gauci and cartier, travellers are handed flyers offering the chance to fire guns at gun ranges located next to luxury shopping malls and hotels. >> reporter: what do you offer tourists? >> safe and fun shooting experience. >> reporter: it's gun tourism

and it's growing. last year "time" magazine called hawaii ground zero for gun tourism. there are four private clubs within half a mile of waikiki, and according to the rifle association, nine out of 10 patrons are japanese. firing weapons they never could back home, because they'd be comitting three japanese crimes, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. gun range owners are not eager to be strict with the customers. do you have concerns that the gun ranges are operating lawfully. >> i called one. i asked them what was the age requirement, and they said "oh, we don't have one." i was shocked. nadine is hawaii's leading gun control advocate.

alarmed by the lack of regulations for children at gun rangers, and pictures like in featuring kids and guns on the wall at the royal hawaiian shooting club. >> there's something innately wrong with that. children don't have the development of their brain to really know what death means. >> under hawaiian law, children under 16 can handle guns. they have to be accompanied by adults. children can come to shoot. >> reporter: kurt is a head structure at the hawaiian shooting club and says they have height restrictions for kids. >> more than likely they are restricted from shooting anything strong. we let them shoot 22 kalibers. >> why is that?

>> for safety. we start off someone with the smallest calibre. from there, the structure shows whether they can handle something bigger. >> are you guys compliant with the wars in hawaii. >> yes. >> we have to keep it held in. >> allowing children to fire assault weapons can have deadly consequences. evidence in two videos that went viral. in august, a 9-year-old accidentally killed her shooting instructor in arizona, when she lost control of the weapon. in twitt an 8-year-old died after shooting himself in the head with a submachine-gun at a gun fair in massachusetts. >> there's two types of shooting. the first is semiautomatic. instructors insist their provision so safe. they took me through a gun training course. >> the people that came in and

tried, do they like this. >> itself ease yerz to get the -- it's easier to shoot this. you get a recoil or slide. with a revolver you get the recoil from the bullet. a lot of people find it easier to shoot this. >> it may be surprising that gun tourism is flourishing. the owner led the lobbying effort for tough restrictions. the family whose manages a golf course was called the most dangerous woman in america by the national rifle association. how do you describe hawaii's gun laws as compared to the rest of the country? >> we are a perfect example here. we don't have contiguous states. all the gun legislation passed is watched care reply by the national rifle association and

no pun intended they send the big guns out here every time there's an issue on our legislative state. >> wayne has talked to you. >> he sits next to me trying to talk sense into me. my husband can tell you it's a wasted effort. >> reporter: the owner uses humour. her son was killed by a suspect she calls a gun nut. >> the man that murdered him was a lifetime member of the n.r.a. and a lifetime member of the hawaiian association and went to the gun range regularly. he had enough guns that when the police raided his home, it took three hand trucks laded to the top. >> do you guys do background checks on people that come in here? >> we have them sign a waive our form saying by law they are allowed to be around firearms.

they are supposed to know that they are aren't supposed to be around guns. >> >> reporter: you are putting the onus on them. >> yes. >> reporter: in a waiver. >> yes. should you be doing a background check. >> the background checks are not required at gunrangers here. patrons are considered to be renting guns. federal bagged check laws do not apply. other protocols are in place at the hawaiian shooting club. the guns we shot were tethered by guide wires, to help keep the guns pointed at the targets. and had to wear eye and ear protection, and witnessed an intoxicated couple turned away. a report by thinkprogress found a handful of serious safety violations at the 16,000 gun rangers in the last five years. >> what do you think about parents that bring kids to shoot

guns. >> i wish they'd do a better job of parenting. it's a wrong message to send to children. that they want to do that, and they are glorifying firearms, and guns are meant to kill. that is the purpose of a gun. and to drive that message home to a child is wrong in my view. >> to these gun tourists, her message is falling on deaf years. >> reporter: when we return, he gave all for his country. one of the most gruesome battles of the civil war. it took a little old lady in wisconsin to win his final fight for the nation's highest military honour.

>> primetime news only on al jazeera america >> hundreds of days in detention. >> al jazeera rejects all the charges and demands immediate release. >> thousands calling for their freedom. >> it's a clear violation of their human rights. >> we have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. >> journalism is not a crime.

finally from us, the long road that leads to death with honour, leads us to the back story of the latest medal honour ceremony. we told you about lieutenant alonzo cushing a few weeks ago. days after our report, the white house announced there's more to it. a lonso cushings finally had his day. in the end there were two women in alonso cushing's life that were there to see him get his due. as the president bestowed the medal of honour in his memory. cushing died in one of the most gruesome battles of a horrific war, at gettysburg, on the third day of pickets charged. cushing, a 22-year-old west

point grad became legendary on this field of heroes. >> some of his men began to run after the gun was hit, and cushing took his pistol out. he was wounded. he took it out and pointed it at the gunner and said "you don't get back here, i'll blow your brains out." >> historian kent masterson-brown spent decades studying cushing and describes him as a guy that wouldn't give up. the painting depicts alonso cushing's final motels. >> final seconds, yes. when the artist portrays him he has received two wounds, one in the right shoulder and one in the gripe, which was possibly fatal. he was bleeding profusely. he was probably going into shock. >> reporter: he tells the men he'll keep going.

>> the first sergeant comes up and says "lieutenant leave, get out of here." he said "no, i'll stay, fight it out or die in the attempt." . >> moments later he did. a confederate volley truck him down. others were awarded the medal of honour for their courage at gettysburg. cushing never was. della field wisconsin has long honoured cushing and two brothers also military heroes. >> this is everywhere. >> yes, cushing park, cushing school, cushing road, cushing memorial. >> reporter: dave has been a curbing fan too. until margaret moved into the old cushing place 47 years ago, no one campaigned for alonso cushing to get the medal of honour. >> you want to know what happened there. it's a goal hidden some place.

you never know. >> alonso cushing stories like gold? >> yes. yes. >> sue, now 94 became a prospector of thoughts, digging through records, gathering documents and sending out hundreds of records over the last 140 years to local leaders to presidents, trying to get alonso cushing what she saw as his due, the medal of honour. >> he needed that recognition, and people needed to know what he did, but what had to be done. people - people don't understand the civil war. what that was about. they don't know. isn't it amazing. >> it took per centance to bring it -- persistence to bring it to light. the proof of worthiliness was

there. >> all of this, nop of this would have happened without one person. would he have gotten this without margaret. >> i don't believe so. >> i think - i think her ability to keep the story in front of washington d.c. >> reporter: for four decades. >> for four decades. it's nothing short of miraculous. >> as the president recognised alonso cushing, a cousin, 85-year-old received it on behalf of his family. it was another woman in a crowd. a little town. they led the battle to the warrior to have a death with the ultimate honour. alone sow's family shared his honour, and to make sure it was seen to the places important in his life. that's it for us here on

"america tonight". monday on the programme, we look again. sex crimes on campus, a ground-ebbing breaking series that started our coverage. we look at what's changed over the last 12 months, you can catch up on the original coverage with our special edition of "america tonight" next. sexual assault on campus. >> i didn't think it was happening. i remember putting up my hands saying no, i'm a virgin, stop. >> the numbers tripled in the last year alone. today 90 colleges and universities under investigation. >> it's up to all of us to put an end to sexual assault. >> a year ago "america tonight" brought you the story from the front line. we put more emphasis on preventing playingarism than rape. >> reporter: has any universit