As the snow gently fell and the wind whistled outside the window on a crisp April day in 2007, Colin Goddard was one of 16 college students participating in a French class discussion with their professor.

What seemed to be a normal day of attending classes was suddenly interrupted with a bang.

Goddard and his classmates believed the loud noise came from the building next door, which was under construction.

Bang.

After a second, much louder noise, it was clear that this was not the sound of the construction next door, but the ear-piercing sound of gun shots, and the shooter was getting closer.

The shooter, a mentally unstable student and longtime victim of bullying, entered the Virginia Tech classroom, in Blacksburg, Va., killing nine of Goddard’s classmates and Goddard’s professor. Goddard survived after being shot four times.

Goddard’s physical recovery went well. He is able to do everything he could do before. His mental recovery followed.

Still, after Goddard graduated from Virginia Tech and began working in local politics, he was not ready to talk about his experience.

This changed two years later, on April 3, 2009, when Goddard turned on the news and watched the shootings in the Binghamton American Civic Association immigration center in New York City unfold.

Seeing the abundance of flowers, prayer vigils and burning candles — images Goddard associated with his own experience at Virginia Tech — motivated him to call the Brady Campaign, a non-profit gun violence prevention organization in the United States, that night.

Goddard now works as an advocate for the Brady Campaign, lobbying for stricter federal gun laws on Capital Hill and traveling the country, speaking out to spread awareness and get young people motivated to change legislation.

“It took me nearly losing my life to understand the reality of what gun laws in this country are,” said Goddard. “I turned my experiences into a film to educate, advocate and do something about gun violence in America.”

Goddard’s compelling story has been featured on Oprah, in the New York Times and in a documentary produced by Maria Cuomo Cole and directed by Kevin Breslin, “Living for 32,” which was screened during the Sundance Film Festival.

Goddard’s next stop: Diablo Valley College.

In an event sponsored by the Model United Nations Club on Tuesday, Oct. 18, there will be a screening of “Living for 32” in the DVC Forum that will be followed by a discussion with Goddard about the film and his experiences.

“Even if your political views are different from those of the Brady Campaign,” said Bryan Humm, the Model United Nations Club participant who is organizing the event. “From the human psychological standpoint to listen to Colin’s story and understand his resilience in overcoming such a horrific event is phenomenal. It gives the audience the chance to form a new perspective.”

Goddard’s mission is to minimize gun violence through federal legislation that requires records to be put into the system and background checks performed for all transactions that involve guns.

Stricter federal legislation will eliminate gun trafficking between states.

“Background checks are a five minute inconvenience against the inconvenience of getting shot by someone who should not have a gun,” Goddard said.  “And I’m alive. Many families lost their loved ones during the Virginia Tech shootings and you can’t even call that inconvenience.”