Protesters at the University of Texas campus oppose a new state law that expands the rights of concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons on public college campuses. (Ralph Barrera/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

As a mother whose daughter was shot when a gunman killed 32 innocent students and wounded 17 others at Virginia Tech, I was horrified by the Sept. 29 Metro article “Va. Tech student is fasting for gun rights.”

A lone protester wants to carry a gun on the Virginia Tech campus. The overwhelming majority of students and staff do not want guns at Virginia Tech or on the majority of college campuses. More than 95 percent of college presidents oppose guns on campus.

The fact is guns are twice as likely to be used in suicides as in homicides, with 58 people dying every day by suicide by a firearm. In a space meant for growing and learning, but also with known high risk factors for gun violence, such as alcohol and drug use, guns do not belong.

Lori Haas, Henrico, Va.

The writer is Virginia state director of the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence.