Even though Colin Goddard experienced the worst school shooting in U.S. history, he did not let the tragedy overtake his life.

Goddard, a survivor of the Virginia Tech shootings, came to NIU Wednesday night to present a documentary he made about his harrowing experiences during the shooting and what he thinks needs to be done to prevent such tragedies in the future.

The film, “Living for 32,” covers Goddard’s personal experiences during the shooting at Virginia Tech, where student Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 32 students. Goddard was one of the people severely injured during the incident, receiving several bullet wounds. He survived and has since recovered, though it took months of physical therapy to be able to properly move again.

Goddard said the idea for the film emerged from producer Maria Coumo Cole, who heard Goddard’s story and wanted to create a short feature based on it. After learning about Goddard’s efforts with the Brady Campaign and his undercover activities at gun shows, the filmmakers Goddard worked with wanted to expand his story.

Goddard’s mother said in the film she did not want the shooting to be the defining moment of his life. Goddard said other mass shootings on college campuses did not inhibit his life but influenced him to work with improving gun control laws. Goddard was insistent that the film is not for or against gun bans.

“It’s supposed to be a positive, uplifting film to show other people that the crazy things that happen to you in your life don’t have to define who you are as a person,” Goddard said. “What you choose to do after the fact defines you more than the fact itself.”

He said the federal laws and background checking systems that prevent people who are not legally fit to purchase a weapon are working, but they either have dangerous loopholes or are not enforced strongly enough.

One of the loopholes in gun control laws are gun shows, he said. Private gun owners are able to sell their weapons without being federally licensed to do so, or without requiring a background check. In the film, Goddard and several of his friends visit these gun shows, and with a hidden camera, show how easy it is to purchase a gun without presenting so much as a driver’s license. The laws that designate who is qualified to sell weapons are not as strong either, Goddard said.

“Under the federal law, you are only required to get a license if you are ‘engaged in the business of selling firearms,'” Goddard said. “Do you sell five guns in a year? Do you sell three, do you sell 20? It’s a gray area.”

Even though the Virginia Tech shooter went through all the legal steps necessary to buy weapons, he managed to slip by one step where he was required to submit a court-approved report on his mental condition. Based on a court evaluation, Cho was found to pose an imminent danger to himself and others. Goddard is certain that if Cho’s report of his mental condition was properly checked by dealers, the weapons would have never been sold to him.

Goddard emphasized in the film the necessity for improving the National Instant Crime Background Checking System. The gaps of mental health records that would disqualify someone from owning a weapon is especially in need of improvement, he said. Goddard said Virginia is currently one of the leading states that has the fullest amount of records in its background checking system, though other states lag behind.

“I know Illinois has over 120,000 disqualifying mental health records missing from the federal system,” Goddard said in an interview before the show.

Goddard said he hopes that the film will raise awareness for people who haven’t been exposed to gun violence by telling them personal stories of those who had, and also to persuade people to work to strengthen background checks and limit the types of overpowered weapons that a citizen may buy.