ORONO — A survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting is sharing his story in hopes of garnering support for a firearms background check proposal set to appear on the Maine ballot in November.

Colin Goddard spoke at the University of Maine in Orono on Wednesday. Goddard was a senior at Virginia Tech when he was shot four times in April 2007 by Seung-Hui Cho. Thirty-two people were killed and 17 were wounded.

Goddard says it’s easy for people to buy guns, and that he’s supporting a ballot initiative to expand criminal background checks to nearly every private gun sale.

Opponents have said the effort infringes on peoples’ constitutional rights and would be nearly impossible to enforce.