>> YOU KNOW, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE THAT WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION ONCE AGAIN, BUT CAN -- HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND WHY PEOPLE CONTINUE TO TARGET THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY THIS WAY? I MEAN, YOUR COMMUNITY'S STRONG AND THEY'RE STANDING UP, BUT ABOUT?O YOU THINK THIS IS ALL - >> YOU KNOW, WHOOPI, I SPENT MUCH OF THE DAY YESTERDAY CALLING THE VICTIMS, MANY OF WHOM WERE STILL IN THE HOSPITAL, CALLING FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE FIVE THAT WE LOST. THERE'S NEVER GOING TO BE ANY SENSE TO IT, RIGHT? THERE NEVER IS, WE JUST HAVE TO FOCUS ON HEALING AND MOVING ON. WE DON'T KNOW ALL OF THE WHYs YET. WHY WAS THERE A SHOOTING AT A CONCERT IN LAS VEGAS? WHY WAS THERE A SHOOTING IN A GAY CLUB? WE'LL FIND OUT MORE AND FIND OUT THE MOTIVES. PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW THAT. RIGHTFULLY SO. NO MOTIVE WILL MAKE SENSE TO ANY OF US. IT'S AN ACT OF EVIL AND OF COURSE PEOPLE SHOULD TALK ABOUT OUR LOVE AND RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER RATHER THAN TO SET ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE AGAINST ANOTHER. AS UNFORTUNATELY SOME DO. >> GOVERNOR, I'M FLOORED YOU'RE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY GOVERNOR IN HISTORY. I'M HORRIFIED BY THAT, BUT I'M HAPPY YOU'RE HERE AND OPENLY GAY. THE SUSPECTED GUNMAN IS FACING MULTIPLE MURDER AND HATE CRIME CHARGES, THOUGH. HE REPORTEDLY ENTERED THE CLUB WITH TREMENDOUS FIREPOWER. WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE SHOOTER, HIS MOTIVES, WHAT TYPE OF WEAPON HE USED AND IS HIS FAMILY COOPERATING WITH THE INVESTIGATION? >> SO, THE SHOOTER WAS SUCCESSFULLY APPREHENDED. HE HAS INJURIES. BY THE WAY, I WANT TO THANK THE HEROES OF THIS, RICHARD FIERRO AND THOMAS JONES, WHO HIMSELF HAS BULLET WOUNDS AND CURRENTLY HOSPITALIZED. THEY WENT AFTER AND TOOK DOWN THE SHOOTER AND DETAINED HIM UNTIL THE POLICE ARRIVED. THE SHOOTER HAS MINOR INJURIES. WILL BE DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL AT SOME POINT. AGAIN, THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A STORY THAT MAKES SENSE THERE. THIS IS A YOUNG MAN FOR WHATEVER REASON ENGAGED IF A HORRIFIC ACT THAT LEFT FIVE PEOPLE DEAD, DOZENS OF LIVES SHATTERS, TRAUMATIZED MILLIONS, RIGHT, TRAUMATIZED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE JUST KNOWING THEY NO LONGER HAD THAT SAFE PLACE WHEN THEY'RE OUT AT THEIR LOCAL LGBTQ CLUB. IT WILL TAKE TIME TO HEAL AND COME BACK FROM THAT. WE'RE STRONG. I'M COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH COLORADO SPRINGS AND THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE WE CAN HEAL IN A GOOD WAY. >> THE ONE THING, GOVERNOR, THAT ALL THESE THINGS HAVE IN COMMON IS THE GUN. THE GUNS. THEY ALL HAVE THOSE AR-15s. LAUREN BOEBERT THE CONGRESSWOMAN IN YOUR STATE POSTED CHRISTMAS PICTURES OF HER, HER HUSBAND AND KIDS HOLDING THESE GUNS. THAT'S A VERY BAD MESSAGE TO SEND TO PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN. THAT'S MY OWN ASIDE HERE BECAUSE IT REALLY MAKES ME NUTS. JUST LAST YEAR THIS SUSPECT WAS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY MAKING A BOMB THREAT. FOR SOME REASON THAT DIDN'T TRIGGER COLORADO'S RED FLAG LAW WHICH YOU SIGNED IN 2019. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? COLORADO HAS ONE OF THE LOWEST RATES OF RED FLAG USAGE. WHY DIDN'T AUTHORITIES TAKE HIS WEAPONS AWAY? IF AN INCIDENT LIKE THIS DIDN'T TRIGGER THE LAW, WHAT IS GOING TO TRIGGER THE LAW? >> I'M ALSO ELECTED HERE IN COLORADO JUST LIKE LAUREN BOEBERT WAS. I CAN TELL YOU ON OUR CHRISTMAS CARDS WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE NO GUNS WHATSOEVER. THEY'RE PEACEFUL, JOYOUS CARDS, APPROPRIATE FOR THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT. RIGHT NOW, OUR FOCUS IS REALLY WITH THE VICTIMS AND THE HEALING. IT'S THIS RED FLAG LAW, WHICH MEANS, THIS IS YOUNG MAN -- WE DON'T KNOW ALL THE FACT BUT WE WILL -- APPARENTLY A THREAT HE MADE, BOMB THREAT, PERHAPS A SHOOTING THREAT IN HIS MOTHER'S NEIGHBORHOOD. HE WAS APPREHENDED. CHARGES WEREN'T PRESSED. THE MOTHER DROPPED THE CHARGES. PERHAPS THEY DECIDED TO GO A DIFFERENT WAY BUT WHAT THIS SHOULD TRIGGER LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN THEN SEEK A RED FLAG OR EXTREME RICK PROTECTION ORDER JUST TO REMOVE CUSTODY OF GUNS FROM SOMEBODY WHO MIGHT BE DANGEROUS, RIGHT? SO NOT CONVICTED OF A CRIME BUT A MENTALLY DANGEROUS STATE. THAT'S WE'D LIKE TO SEE MORE OF IN COLORADO. THIS IS A NEW LAW IN COLORADO. IT'S REALLY UP TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND IN THIS CASE IT LOOKS LIKE WE SHOULD TAKE A SECOND LOOK AT HOW OUR LOCAL SHERIFFS USED THIS LAW TO PROTECT PEOPLE. >> GOVERNOR, WE'RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE FIVE VICTIMS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES THAT NIGHT AND OTHERS WHO REMAIN HOSPITALIZED. HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO THEIR FAMILIES AND WHAT ABOUT THESE HEROES INSIDE THE CLUB WHO QUICKLY CONFRONTED THE SHOOTER AND STOPPED THE CARNAGE? HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO ANY OF THEM? >> I HAVE SPOKEN TO FAMILY MEMBERS OF ALL FIVE, SOME OF WHOM WERE OUT OF STATE AND COMING IN FOR THIS AND JUST IN SHOCK. ALL WERE LOVED BY THEIR FAMILIES. ALL ARE IN A COMPLETE STATE OF SHOCK. THESE WERE PEOPLE OUT JUST BEING WHO THEY ARE IN A PART OF THE STATE, PART OF THE COUNTRY WHERE IT ISN'T ALWAYS EASY. THIS IS A SOMEWHAT CONSERVATIVE AREA. THIS WAS A REFUGE THIS CLUB, CLUB Q, THE LARGEST LGBTQ CLUB IN COLORADO SPRINGS. I TOLD THE OWNERS WHEN THEY RE-OPEN, I WANT TO BE THERE TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH THEM. IN TALKING TO FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE LOVED ONES, IT WAS HARD. THEY SHARED INTIMATE STORIES ABOUT THEIR LOVED ONES. TALKING TO RICHARD AND THOMAS STILL RECOVERING, THE TWO HEROS. BOTH MILITARY MEMBERS. THEY WERE LUCKY TO BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION. OTHERWISE DOZENS MORE PEOPLE WOULD BE MOURNING. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> GOVERNOR, HATE CRIMES ARE SKY ROCKETING IN THE COUNTRY, NOT ONLY FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, BUT ACROSS THE BOARD. AS COLORADO'S OPENLY GAY MAN ELECTED GOVERNOR AND ITS FIRST JEWISH GOVERNOR WHAT IS IT LIKE TO LEAD IN THIS MOMENT? WHAT DOES THIS FEEL LIKE PERSONALLY TO YOU WHEN THESE GROUPS YOU'RE A PART OF ARE TARGETED? >> PROBABLY LIKE YOU ALL, YOU ALL HAVE PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA COMING AFTER YOU SAYING NASTY THINGS. USUALLY WE IGNORE THEM. I ALWAYS HAVE TO TELL MY MOM TO IGNORE THEM. SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO SPEAK OUT MORE WHEN PEOPLE CROSS THE LINE. THAT'S THE LESSON I'LL TAKE FROM THIS. BE MORE OUTSPOKEN. YOU CAN HAVE YOUR OPINIONS LEFT, RIGHT, CONSERVATIVE, LIBERAL, WHATEVER THEY ARE IS FINE. THERE'S A LINE TO CROSS WHEN YOU DENIGRATE PEOPLE JUST BASED ON WHO THEY ARE OR THEIR FAITH OR RACE. THAT'S NEVER OKAY. WE NEED TO BE VERY CLEAR IN SAYING THAT. >> RIGHT. [ APPLAUSE ] >> WELL, YOU KNOW, GOVERNOR, IT'S FABULOUS THAT YOU'RE OVER THERE IN COLORADO, BUT WHEN YOU COME EAST YOU NEED TO COME HANG WITH US AT THE TABLE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN. OUR THANKS TO GOVERNOR --