Reporting Jessica Kartalija
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Jessica Kartalija tells why this victim of violence is now a man on a mission.
Gunshots rang out on the Virginia Tech campus April 16, 2007.
“I was in total disbelief what was going on,” said Goddard, a victim of the Virginia Tech shooting. “Bullets started coming through our door and everyone hit the floor.”
Four bullets strike Goddard.
“I just dove under the desk, had nowhere to go and tried to act like I was already dead,” he recalled.
Kartalija: “Do you ever think back to that day and all of your classmates in that classroom and think why did I live?”
“It’s there,” Goddard said. “There’s nothing I can do about that. So am I supposed to be upset about that, have pity on myself my entire life? No. I want to do something with this. I want to be happy, and the work that I’m doing now makes me happy.”
That work is with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
He spends his days on Capitol Hill lobbying lawmakers for universal background checks. So anytime anyone sells a gun, there’s a background check, including sales from unlicensed dealers at gun shows. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms calls gun shows major trafficking channels.
Goddard is also the centerpiece of a new HBO documentary where he shows how easily you can buy a gun with no background check.
“I’m not talking about removing all guns or banning guns,” Goddard said. “I’m trying to make sure we do a better job checking people so guns go into the hands of the good guys, not the bad guys.”
The Virginia Tech gunman who shot Goddard and 31 other people slipped through the system despite a court order finding him mentally ill and dangerous. That paperwork never made it into the federal system, which would have stopped the gun sale. Goddard wants lawmakers to provide better incentives to states to turn over all of their records.
“We make it way too easy for these people…anyone to just go and buy a gun,” he said.
Those opposed to gun control disagree, insisting criminals will always find a way to get a gun.
“The laws only apply to the law abiding,” said John Josselyn, Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore. “The people who do not obey the law work in a whole different realm.”
Kartalija: “How far do you want to push?
“People say this is the land of the free,” Goddard replied. “They say free to carry a gun with you wherever you want to. I think the land of the free is being free to walk down the street or free to go to university without the fear of someone shooting you. I say that is the land of the free. That is what we should be aiming for.”
Goddard tells WJZ that mandatory background checks have already kept guns out of the hands of more than 2 million people the government viewed as dangerous.
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36 Comments
It is very sad and tough to have lived through this type of tragedy. But when you make money off of it your a pimp.and that’s what this man is doing going around capital hill pimping his tragedy for cash. Call Sarah Brady and she will push you around free. She likes cameras too
May 20, 2011 at 3:19 am | | Report comment
I had the pleasure of meeting Colin Goddard this past month. I find some of these comments infuriating. This is a person, who has taken his life tragedy, and with his experience, is giving his life to do all that he can to inform us of somethings that are deeply disturbing (lack of background checks at gun shows, our society’s attempts to address conflict with violence, a breach in the system that does not communicate when those who are a danger to themselves or others… I could go on and on). This man, knows he could have died that day and his life passion is now to find a way to live in honor of those young adults who were with him. Of the 32 or so who die every day, the hundreds affected every day, the thousands affected every year.
May 20, 2011 at 10:14 am | | Report comment
I want to point out that Countries like Brazil that have very stringent gun control laws and then Japan where you aren’t allowed to own guns and yet somehow mysteriously alot of people there have guns illegally. Also what is even more entertaining about targeting gun shows is this guy that shot up the school bought his guns at a gun store where the federal check the BATFE wants every sale to go through failed. No one wants to talk about the failures at the federal level. It is a tragedy that this happened yes but before you go pointing your fingers at “LAW ABIDING” gun owners which are normally the only demographic EVER affected by gun control laws you may want to look at the BATFE and other federal agencies that have failed to do their jobs properly. Also this same high and mighty BATFE was selling guns to criminals in Mexico to inflate the stats to support new gun controls. Look it up people “project gunrunner, fast and furious and other covert but now public scandals that are developing. Know the facts before you start aiming to create new laws that only serve to hurt the law abiding public and facilitate the means for the BATFE and other groups to sell guns to criminals. Yes thats right our own agencies sell guns to criminals with NO background checks or they force gun stores to make the sale illegally. The gun that killed the border patrol agent was a gun that the DOJ and BATFE ordered the store to sell to people that failed the requirements of the background check.
May 20, 2011 at 12:35 pm
I understand the fight for the right to bear arms… however it doesn’t mean that those that have gotten guns legally aren’t going to go around shooting people. They are just as likely to do what the shooters have been doing at schools, colleges, etc. What we need is harsher punishment. In the US, you get a long drawn out court case, sit in a prison where we the tax payers pay for your educations, food, cell, etc. There’s no suffering there. We need to start setting examples of wrong-doers. Make them understand that you won’t sit in a posh little environment for decads or for life. You will get done to you what you did to others and then have to live with it in a dark dirty cell in the basement. You don’t get good food, education, fitness center. You get a cold bare floor.
May 20, 2011 at 1:32 pm | | Report comment
I’m not sure harsher punishment is exactly the answer. It seems in these cases of group shootings (and even those killing their entire families), they finish with killing themselves.
Seems what Colin and Living for 32 are doing is making awareness so we will be more accountable with the guns we have/sell and also close the loopholes where folks that should not have guns can’t just get them through another means. But we all have to increase our awareness and be more careful when it comes to firearms, to be sure.
Nothing wrong with the right to bear arms. There is something wrong with those that make the “list” that should not be able to legally buy a gun find another route to do so.
May 25, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Seriously…where do you get THAT information from? He isn’t out asking for cash! It is clear you have not attended the screening or looked at all at what his work is about.
It’s ok to have an opinion. It’s not ok to idiotically throw out callous statements against someone when you don’t even know the truth.
May 25, 2011 at 4:37 pm | | Report comment
I’m very sorry for this young man’s tragedy,but it seems he is living in a bit of a fantasy world.
Bad guys will still get guns.They will just get them illegally.There is no real answer to this problem.
May 20, 2011 at 5:08 am | | Report comment
It’s not a fantasy, Julie. Since the Brady campaign started this type of work, they have stalled or stopped over 1 Million gun sales that would have gone to those that should not have them (mental illness, violent offenders, etc).
Maybe it’s an elephant, but it gets eaten one bite at a time. For those that are still alive because those 1 million guns didn’t get sold…they’ll never know. But they’re alive. Closing obvious loopholes makes some difference. It always will.
Maybe one day, it will make a difference for you or one of your children or family members. You never know!
May 25, 2011 at 4:45 pm | | Report comment
We DO NOT need more gun laws! We need parents to teach their kids the 10 Commandments, mainly “THOU SHALL NOT KILL”, and we must start enforcing the laws on the books we have NOW,,, all 2200 of them!!
May 20, 2011 at 5:40 am | | Report comment
This sounds like it is a one sided soultioin. What punishment does someone get if they commit a crime with a gun? Not enough!! In florida and other simmular states where you have the right to carry a conceled weapon criminals are less likely to commit a crime with a gun. They know as soon as everyone sees the crime happening they could be shot by anyone including someones grandmother.
May 20, 2011 at 6:22 am | | Report comment
I’m sure he’s a Democrat too. Just what we need more laws and regulations, while he makes $$$ off something terrible and tragic.
May 20, 2011 at 7:35 am | | Report comment
Laws that infringe on a Constitutional right are not an answer to this problem. For years a liberal judiciary has told criminals that nothing is their fault, they are not responsible. This has to change. It makes more sense to do the following:
1. Schools should be required to take out a restraining order on any student who threatens anyone on campus. Restraining order=no gun purchase.
2. Automatic extra five year sentence for use of a gun in a felony, no parole, no exceptions.
3. Automatic five year sentence for anyone convicted of a “Strawman” purchase, or anyone who provides a gun for a convicted felon, mental patient, or others not allowed to own a gun. No parole, no exceptions.
4. Parole for convicted felons should be an earned exception and not the rule, keep criminals in jail for their full sentence and crime goes down.
Stop violating the rights of law abiding citizens and start fully punishing criminals.
May 20, 2011 at 7:42 am | | Report comment
I agree with you Raoul. What is the sense of making new laws, when you don’t use the ones that are law. Isn’t drugs against the law? But yet you can get drugs with no problem.
May 20, 2011 at 7:54 am | | Report comment
I agree. We, the law abiding citizens, are the ones who get punished everytime a new gun law goes in to effect. At the same time the criminals are allowed to walk away with a slap on the wrist. No NEW gun laws, just enforce the ones already on the books.
May 20, 2011 at 8:23 am | | Report comment
I love this but you should know that this is a fairy land idea. You will NEVER find a policy maker that has “no exceptions”…. Oh I so wish that this was the case. Complete agreement on this.
May 20, 2011 at 8:50 am | | Report comment
I agree with you 100%. You want crime to go down look at the states that have the citizens the ability to carry a gun. These states have less crime because everyone carries a gun. I own several guns, I was raised around them and taught to respect them. Its like telling a kid that something is bad, the more you tell them its bad the more they want to know about it or do it. Now if you educate them on whats bad and show them, they learn from it and normally never do it. The mentality of making it harder on the good people to own gun doesn’t help them. The criminals still get thiers, and the rest of us don’t have the ability to defend ourselves against them. If you don’t like guns you don’t have to have a gun, but who are you to tell me that I cannot have a gun. 2nd admendment says I have the right to bare arms. Meaning I should have the right to own and carry my gun. The police are never around until after the crime is over, so shouldn’t we all have the right to defend ourselves with what ever means possible.
May 20, 2011 at 11:28 am | | Report comment
Not sure if you’ve listened to what they are about. They aren’t about making it harder to get a gun at all. They’re talking about why is it so easy for those that should NOT get guns (laws and legislation already in place) out there getting them!
If you were to watch the Living for 32 film, you’d see exactly what the problem is. Those that are law abiding citizens don’t have a problem bringing proper paperwork to a gun show to purchase a gun!
It truly isn’t about the laws, it’s about those out there passing out firearms and not caring whose hands they are going in to!
May 25, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Utah Universities started to allow students to carry guns. ‘IF” someone were dumb enough to come onto the University and start shooting at least they could defend themselves. “LAW” are for LAW ABIDING citizens… NOT for those who go on shooting sprees. You will NEVER stop the trading of illegal guns. All you can do it hope that you or someone nearby has a way to protect you/themselves. Gun laws DO NOT work!
May 20, 2011 at 8:47 am | | Report comment
Don’t control guns, control criminals! Guns are only the instrument.
May 20, 2011 at 9:01 am | | Report comment
The laws were already in place to keep the mentally disturbed shooter from legally owning a gun. He got one anyhow. All more laws will do is embolden the criminal element because they will know less law abiding people have guns.
May 20, 2011 at 9:11 am | | Report comment
I don’t see anything wrong with what he’s proposing. The less guns sold, the less guns on the street – less people getting killed.
May 20, 2011 at 10:49 am | | Report comment
Your JOKING RIGHT!!!! The criminals are still getting guns. The guns are not coming from the ones owned by law bidding citizens, unless they were stoled from a house of gun owner. Have you really thought were the guns come from or investigated were the illegal guns come from? Apparently not!!! Its uneducated people like you in this for instance living in a fantasy world really believing guns being sold legally are the guns entering the hands of criminals. Give you a example, for years in England cops (Bobbies) didn’t carrie guns until the last 15 to 20 years. England does not sell alot of hand guns, but thier criminals still were getting them. How right? They were smuggling them into the country. Alot of the guns on the streets, in the hands of criminals are brought in the same way, and by making it tougher to obtain a gun for a normal person is idiotic. The criminals will still get thier guns.
May 20, 2011 at 11:46 am | | Report comment
By the way. Guns don’t kill people, People KIll People. A gun cannot aim itself or fire itself. It takes a person to do the first 2 steps.
May 20, 2011 at 11:49 am | | Report comment
Years ago, Baltimore had this flier plastered all over the place, on billboards, buses, taxicabs, that said “SPOT A GUN, TELL SOMEONE. MANDATORY 5 YEAR SENTENCE”. WHAT A JOKE THAT TURNED OUT TO BE. I can’t begun to tell you how many GOOD, SOLID handgun arrests I made only to see them, and a multitude of other officers’ handgun cases, punished with PROBATION. That is one of the biggest reasons the thugs still carry guns illegally; no threat of real punishment. Get caught with a gun in Japan and kiss your family goodbye. Why not here? I would LOVE to see the courts start to stick by their guns ( no pun intended ) and start to REALLY punish the knuckleheads who illegally carry guns on our streets. WE DON’T NEED NEW LAWS, WE JUST NEED TO STAND BY THE ONES ALREADY IN PLACE. 5 YEARS FOR THE 1ST OFFENSE, NO PAROLE, NO GOOD BOY CREDITS. 5 YEARS TO THE DAY. 20 YEARS FOR A 2ND OFFENSE, SAME SCENARIO, AND LIFE FOR A THIRD.
May 20, 2011 at 1:00 pm | | Report comment
In 1994 I was an active duty soldier on a support mission with an international humanitarian relief agency. While in this role, I wore civilain clothes and was NOT armed. At a check point outside a war torn city in Bosnia a female co-worker for forcefully removed from our ‘clearly marked vehicle’ and assaulted. As I tried to intervene I was struck in the head by the butt of a rifle and knocked unconsious. When I awoke a few minutes later the drunk guards at this check-point were continuing their assault. I was finally able to end the situation when I discovered that in their hast to ‘assault’ my co-worker they had leaned a 7.62mm SKS rifle against the door of the guard shack.and had forgotten about me outside. I ended up having to use one of their own guns again them. Had I been armed, like i should have been, I don’t think the assault would have gotten as far as it sis that night. The same hold true in similar situations today. Too amny times, the criminal with a gun gains the upper hand just because the victim was following some localrules and wasn’t armed. I carry EVERY day because 1994 will always be with me – never again!
May 20, 2011 at 1:08 pm | | Report comment
Thank you Collin. At first it was a difficult shocker to again see Cho’s face on the video here. The folks who easily write here have no idea how painful it is to face a mentally ill young man shooting everybody in sight. Your classmates and some of my young friends thought they were safe in school but instead faced or died at the hands of an ill person weilding 2 semiautomatic handguns. Much has been corrected since that trauma 4 years ago but much is yet undone. Thank you for your advocacy; GO Close the Gunshow Loophole, Fix Background Checks and Keep guns off College Campuses.
May 20, 2011 at 7:32 pm | | Report comment
Thank you Collin. At first it was a difficult shocker to again see Cho’s face on the video here. The folks who easily write here have no idea how painful it is to face a mentally ill young man shooting everybody in sight. Your classmates and some of my young friends thought they were safe in school but instead faced or died at the hands of an ill person weilding 2 semiautomatic handguns. Much has been corrected since that trauma 4 years ago but much is yet undone. Thank you for your advocacy; GO Close the Gunshow Loophole, Fix Background Checks and Keep guns off College Campuses. Oh and BTW if a nation of states can safely unite to develop laws to manage another deadly weapon, the car, across the whole country it can also develop laws to manage the ownership and use of another deadly weapon, the gun.
May 20, 2011 at 7:36 pm | | Report comment
The whole “law-abiding citizen” complex is uterly underminding statistics and human nature. You may follow the law. Say for example you had a concealed permit, you came home and saw your partner cheating on you. You have a loaded weapon, its a 50/50 odd you wont shoot. Or how about a drunk dispute, you have a with friend. Theres once agian a 50/50 chance you wont shoot. Another example how about your kid sneaks out, your awoke to the sounds of someone breaking in, you just see some person coming in some house. You would most likely shoot. So when you hand out guns like candy, Incidents like this will happen.
May 21, 2011 at 3:07 am | | Report comment
MR Disney’s comment pretty much sums up the entire anti 2ND Amendment theory in a nutshell. His response is elitist in the extreme in its belief that We the People, even those of us who obey the law, are too stupid to be trusted with the liberties granted by the US Constitution. I reject this as being just insulting rhetoric. I also reject the idea that owning a firearm makes the owner more likely to break the law as being prejudicial.
The idea that guns are being “Handed out like candy” anywhere in this country shows that MR Disney is unfamiliar with the process of legally buying a firearm. In fact I would say there is a 50/50 odd that MR Disney is basing his statement on pure fear and very little fact.
May 21, 2011 at 7:04 am | | Report comment
Do you have any evidence for your ‘statistics’ or did you just make them up?
Classic projection on what you would do w/ a firearm. Not what is reality.
May 22, 2011 at 2:31 pm | | Report comment
How about concentrating on getting the criminals off the streets and quit infringing on my Constritutional rights. Gun Free zones are just another word for killing zones.
May 21, 2011 at 10:08 am | | Report comment
I think every man , woman and child should be armed with
a Vulcan-Mini Gun.
That way, we’re all on equal footing.
May 21, 2011 at 4:42 pm | | Report comment
None of the measures Goddard endorses as a spokesperson for the Brady Campaign would have stopped the VT tragedy.
Then there’s the fact that his father, head of the MMM in VA, considers firearm owners to be ‘morons’ and has called members of the LDS church ‘cultists’.
http://daysofourtrailers.blogspot.com/2011/05/add-religious-bigotry-to-list.html
May 22, 2011 at 2:29 pm | | Report comment
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the first things mentioned in the Declaration of Independece. They didn’t mention unlimited gun rights. I thank Colin, it is time to stand up to the gun lobby that never saw a common sense gun regulation that they liked.
May 23, 2011 at 8:25 am | | Report comment
I think that it is time that some people stop treating the Bill of Rights like the dollar menu at McDonald’s. The US Constitution protects all of our rights and not just the ones that you like individually. You may not like the 2ND Amendment but it is a right, every bit as protected as free speech.
May 23, 2011 at 8:58 am | | Report comment
There is some inaccuracy in this report. The reporter says “The Virginia Tech gunman who shot Goddard and 31 other people…” In fact, the gunman killed 32 people and himself, and shot many more.
May 23, 2011 at 2:11 pm | | Report comment