abc's pierre thomas to tell us how powerful these weapons are. and just how easy they are to get in this country. >> reporter: extremely powerful. the assault rifle used in this type of shooting typically carries about 30 rounds or so. but it could carry up to 100 rounds or more. it can fire a barrage of bullets in seconds. that's why those children were killed so quickly. they're easy to buy. you can go to a local gun store and buy these guns within minutes after a background check. >> i know you're going to stay on the scene and report in the coming days. pierre thomas with us here tonight, thank you. >>> tonight this evening, another child's eye view, we hear from the children inside that school, and this evening it's 9-year-old ethan and 9-year-old ben, twins brothers, who were in different parts of the school when the shots rang out. >> everyone thought that it was an animal. when we heard gunshots, we all huddled into my teacher's office. everybody was quiet. when the policeman came in to get us, he told us to close our eyes and do this. >>

here's abc's correspondent pierre thomas. >> reporter: on black friday, u.s. shoppers were not just buying toys and electronics, they were also buying guns in record numbers. on that single day, the fbi did computerized background checks on more than 154,000 purchases of firearms. and in november alone, americans tried to buy a whopping 2 million guns. here are some facts that might surprise you. there are more registered gun dealers and stores than major supermarkets. more gun sellers than mcdonald's restaurants. the overwhelming majority of gun users are law abiding citizens. but authorities tell abc news the millions of guns already in circulation guarantee that disturbed people will be able to obtain them. even in quiet communities like newtown. we spoke to the atf on-scene commander. roughly how many gun dealers are in there area? >> there are about 400 gun dealers in a four-county area. just within ten miles of the incident, there are 36 gun dealers. >> reporter: police believe the guns adam lanza used were bought legally. >> in america, unless you have

abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas now tells us what the experts say they see when they look at the men behind these massacres. >> reporter: the virginia tech massacre, 32 dead. a shooting spree in tucson, arizona -- six dead. 12 killed at a colorado movie theater. mass murder conducted by lone gunmen. but who are these men? and what motivates them? >> we're talking about attacks that are carried out largely by people who are not necessarily psychopathic, not sociopathic, but folks who are relatively normal, but at a point of absolute desperation. >> reporter: according to one estimate, this year alone, there have been 15 mass shootings with at least 84 people killed before today. in the 61 mass murders carried out since 1982, all but one of the 43 shooters were male. most were white and the average age of the primary shooter was 35. nearly half of the mass murders have involved school or workplace shootings. but in recent years, shopping malls, restaurants, and houses of worship have also come under fire. >> mass shooters tend to look for soft targets because they're ea

pierre thomas, thanks for that report. >>> we have breaking news overnight from overseas. a new provocation from north korea. the secretive nuclear nation says it will launch a long-range rocket later this month, some time between the 10th and the 22nd of december. the launch of a rocket broke apart shortly after liftoff. that was in april. >>> the u.s. is criticizing israel's decision to build new barriers to a potential peace deal. israel says they will build new settlements in the west bank and jerusalem, on land thought to belong to the palestinians. >>> and hundreds of people wrr forced to evacuate from their homes in new jersey late friday, hours after a train derailed spilling a hazardous chemical. authoriti authorities ordered people to leave their homes. 70 people went to the emergency room. but most were discharged in hours. >>> a course in south africa is being overrun by baboons. one of them, seen here. the actual baboon. this is not a re-enactment here. the real baboon ran across the 15th green, grabbed the cameraman's food and hopped into a golf cart. he had

for "good morning america," pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> battle lines are clearly drawn. we'll get more on that story, coming up in the broadcast. >>> let's get over to ron for the latest headlines. >> hey, there. good morning, everyone. three people have been arrested for the deadly explosion that devastated an indiana neighborhood last month. the homeowner and boyfriend. there was evidence that the gas lines were tampered with. >>> and a federal judge has given final approval to bp's settlement on the massive oil spill in the gulf of mexico. the oil giant has estimated it will take $7.8 billion to help out businesses and individuals affected by the oil spill. >>> and the tennis umpire who was accused of murdering her husband has her job back. prosecutors dropped the case last month against her because of insufficient evidence. goodman was suspended from her job after her arrest in august. >>> and a crowd in texas got more than they bargained for. when they lined up to buy the new air jordan speakers. police doused the crowd, about 200 people, with pepper spray, when peo

riding along and bearing witness to this all too common ritual is our pierre thomas. >> reporter: this is a city that has 3,000 shootings per year. >> and more than 300 homicides so far in 2012. 85% involving guns. this is the story playing out in big cities across the nation. night after night. >> shot twice in the face, once in the back. they can't give us a definite. it's very serious. he's extremely critical and he's in the trauma bay and they're doing everything they can for him. >> sergeant hoyt knows his night is just beginning, and it would be the night of the sound of gunfire popping over and over and over again. meanwhile, in chicago, pete begins his overnight shift in the newsroom, waiting for police scans to begin their predictable cry. >> reporter: there's more than 2,400 shootings so far this year and there's still two weeks left. >> covering this beat means you will see more killed in cook county than the battlefield of afghanistan. >> reporter: shot in the back and the arm a couple times. >> the location is ominous. >> reporter: i don't know if kids are on christmas bre

pierre thomas has the latest. >>> stormy season. we learned today this was a record-breaking hurricane season. what does it say about the future of melting ice and torrential floods?

abc's senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas, join us with the details. pierre? >> reporter: good morning. the two ft. lauderdale men are accused of plotting to detonate a bomb in the u.s. homeland. the suspects are brothers. raees and sheheryar qazi. identified as naturalized citizens from pakistan. sources tell abc news, this was not a sting. and that the younger brother had been in contact with overseas radicals, possibly connected to al qaeda. the indictment accused the men of attempting to provide money, lodging and transportation, and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. and sources say, the fbi found evidence that the younger brother, had been monitoring recent fbi sting cases. so, authorities say infiltrating the alleged conspiracy was a non-starter. one law enforcement source described the young man's intent as serious. but the source said, the attack was not imminent. >> okay. pierre thomas, thanks for that report. >>> and we have breaking news overnight from overseas. a new provocation from north korea. the secretive nuclear nation says it w

i want to bring in pierre thomas, our senior jos correspondent. pierre, we know that very early on, the president was notified. jake tapper is in the briefing room. but in the meantime, take us through how the president is briefed, how quickly this information is getting to him and we know the governor of connecticut now briefing the parents. >> the way this unfolded the fbi, you know, they have local offices throughout the country, the local fbi office was notified about the shooting, they sent personnel to the scene, then that information made its way to the fbi director. the fbi director than informed the president of the scale of the event and how horrific it was and that's how we understand this went down. we're also getting some additional information about the shooter in this case. we are being told that he's an identified as a 24-year-old. we'll be gathering more information to give to our viewers as we get more detail. >> pierre, i have been handed some information that's been sent out for our viewers, we have an internal e-mail system tha

middle school for the special edition of "this week" and joined by our chief justice correspondent pierre thomasra. we want to talk more about the law enforcement aspects of this, and, pierre, four months ago, august, coming out of aurora, you said we would be here again. all too soon. >> didn't mean to be prophetic but these are the facts. in this country we have a love affair with guns. they are sold commercially. in fact, the fbi did background checks on black friday to sunday, the friday after thanksgiving, and there were 154,000 gun checks on that day alone. and, in fact, in november for the month of november, americans attempted to buy 2 million guns, so what that means is that people who are heading to the dark side, if you will, have easy access to weapons easy access to weapons and this ia a complicated situation. >> the guns are everywhere. what people will point out is in this case the shooter didn't have to go buy a gun. they were right there in the home. >> we have information that the mom or the family had at least five weapons readily available and assault-style rifles are bought

in washington, d.c., police told our pierre thomas, they make up 40% of all robberies. >> they target those who are more vulnerable, women, women with baby carriages. >> police have stepped up awareness >> i really don't enjoy being stolen. >> reporter: they're registering cell phones so owners can be contacted. now if you want to protect yourself and your personal information, you can put a pass word lock on your phone. >> that gps tracking that's useful, they often wipe off. >> you can trace these phones. criminals the minute they turn it off, they can't turn it off. >>> former president george h.w. bush is out of icu. this phone call he got from the country music star oak ridge boys. ♪ amazing grace ♪ how sweet that sounds ♪ >> you can see them singing into the phone there. we're told by his office that barbara bush requested the so song. >>> much more ahead -- an internet scam to watch out for. messages from friends who need money. but watch out tonight. we're all having such a great year in the gulf, we've decided to put aside our rivalry. 'cause all our states are great. and now

and abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas joins us now with all the breaking details. pierre? >> reporter: diane, tonight, the fbi believes it has stopped a plot of home grown terror that while in its early stages, could have been deadly. tonight, two ft. lauderdale men are in custody, accused of plotting to detonate a bomb in the u.s. homeland. the two men, brothers raees and sheheryar qazi, are identified at naturalized citizens from pakistan. sources tell abc news, this was not a sting. and that the younger brother had been in contact with overseas radicals, possibly connected to al qaeda. the indictment accuses the men of attempting to provide lodging, communications, equipment and transportation in a conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. and sources say, the fbi found evidence the younger brother had been monitoring recent fbi sting cases, so authorities say infiltrating the alleged conspiracy was a nonstarter. >> and pierre, i know this is still a developing story, but any indication of how many others might be involved? >> reporter: diane, this case is

and in washington, d.c., police told our pierre thomas, they make up nearly 40% of all robberies. >> they target those who are more vulnerable, women, women with baby carriages. >> reporter: police have stepped up awareness. in las vegas, there's a psa announcement with the voice of siri. >> i really don't enjoy being stolen. >> reporter: they're registering cell phones so owners can be contacted. you can download a free app that allows you to remotely lock your phone and wipe all of the information off just in case it gets into the wrong hands. david, we know how important that is with all of personal information we have it. >>> some good news to report tonight about former president george h.w. bush, he's out of icu and on mend. this phone call he got from the country music star oak ridge boys. ♪ amazing grace ♪ how sweet that sounds ♪ >> they're singing right into the phone there to the president. we learned from the president's office that it was his wife, barbara bush, who requested the song. >>> much more ahead -- an internet scam to watch out for. messages you receive on faceb

here's abc's senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas. >> the nra has blood on its hands! shame on the nra! >> reporter: the nra leader had barely begun when protesters blamed the powerful lobby for the nation's epidemic of gun violence. >> nra, stop killing our children! >> reporter: but the nra was defiant. after remaining silent in the wake of the worst elementary school shooting in the nation's history, wayne lapierre was on the attack, blaming others for the recent carnage. high on the list, violent video games. >> there exists in this country, a callous, corrupt, and corrupting shadow industry that sells and stows violence against its own people. >> reporter: nra officials insist new laws restricting gun owners, including a ban on assault rifles, won't work. the primary solution the nra offers, armed security in every school. >> the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun. >> reporter: critics pounced. >> the nra's blanket call to arm our schools is really nothing more than a distraction. >> reporter: new york city mayor michael bloomberg

abc's pierre thomas has the latest on the call to action. morning, pierre. >> reporter: good morning, elizabeth. many americans are demanding that something be done to stop nightmares like what we saw in newtown. what that something should be is where the fight begins. >> all: shame on the nra. >> reporter: at nra headquarters in virginia on monday, an angry crowd. >> all: shame, shame, shame. >> reporter: hordes of activists protesting the gun lobby. and the debate ignited again. but those in support of the nra questioned whether the assault rifle used in the newtown massacre was really the issue. conservative columnist john fund called in yesterday. >> the bottom line is, the laws don't work. these mass killings are because of psychotic or mentally ill individuals. >> reporter: but some political leaders are fed up with the nation's gun violence. 34 americans are killed every day by firearms. >> this is just ridiculous. this is an outrage. we are killing each other. and we're the only industrialized country in the world doing it. >> report

abc's pierre thomas who is our senior justice correspondent has been looking into it. >> good morning many disturbing questions but this event has put a spotlight on america's thriving gun culture. the statistics are staggering. on black friday, u.s. shoppers were not just buying toys and electronics but guns in record numbers. on that single day the fbi did computerized background checks on more than 154,000 purchases of firearms. and in november alone, americans tried to buy a whopping 2 million guns. here's some fact that is might surprise you. there are more registered gun dealers in stores than major supermarkets. >>> more gun sellers than mcdonald's restaurants. the overwhelming majority of gun owners are law-abiding citizens but authorities tell abc news the millions of guns in circulation guarantee that disturbed people will often be able to obtain them even in tight-knit communities like newtown. we spoke to atf's on-scene commander to newtown. in roughly how many gun dealers are in this area. >> there are about 400 gun dealers in a four-counter area just within ten miles of

pierre thomas joins us with more on our nation's relationship with guns. pierre? event, we found some eye-popping numbers that show solving this problem will be complicated. the statistics are staggering. on black friday, u.s. shoppers were not just buying toys and electroni electronics. they were also buying guns. in record numbers. on that single day, the fbi did computerized background checks on more than 154,000 purchases of firearms. in november alone, americans tried to buy a whopping 2 million guns. here are some facts that might surprise you. there are more registered gun dealers and stores than major supermarkets. more gun sellers than mcdonald's restaurants. the overwhelming majority of gun users are law-abiding citizens. the millions of guns already in circulation guarantee that disturbed people will often be able to obtain them, even in quiet communities like newtown. we spoke to the fbi on-scene commander. >> there are about 400 gun dealers in a four-county area. within ten miles of the incident, 36 gun dealers. >> reporter: police believe the guns ad

abc's pierre thomas joins us now with the very latest on this story. good morning, pierre. >> reporter: good morning, elizabeth. in just a few hours, president obama takes the first steps to make good on his vow to respond to the massacre at newtown. he will announce that he is directing major federal agencies to come up with answers to address the scourge of gun violence. this morning, after days of silence, the nra, the nation's most powerful gun lobby, announced that it will hold a press conference on friday. and they say they're prepared to make meaningful contributions so tragedies like sandy hook never happen again. are we in the precipice of a sea change? about how this nation deals with guns? >> why the hell can you buy a weapon of mass destruction? that's what it is. that's the first thing that should be gone. >> there have been 70, 70 episodes of school shootings in the united states, since 1994. good lord. really? i mean, should there be that many? >> reporter: big-city mayors and one of the nation's biggest police unions have called for a ba

pierre sitting down with david gregory over the weekend. the interview really came as no surprise after what we witnessed on friday. >> it believes there are many -- sfwlo did he say, thomasey want to encourage schools to -- the nra is willing to help train people, whether it's policemen or volunteers, whatever local school districts want to do -- >> it's gnting to satisfy the gun restrictions in the next senate. >> asa hutchinson, is now helming a model shield program that the nra is sponsoring to look into. how quick of a timeline or what is the timeline for the work that they're doing? >> well, it's going to depend on the amount of money that local school districts can spend to hire these people. what the nra says is we've been training people in firearm safety for years. we are willing to help train armed security people if the school districts can come up with the money. they've trained about 10,000 of these people already, so there are other organizations. >> pete williams, thank you, sir. good to see you. >> i want to bring in now david winston, advisor to speaker john boehner, gop stat gist. it's good to is have you here. >> the assault ban does it get before and