The news has once again stunned the nation: A 27-year-old gunman opened fire at Northern Illinois University, killing six students and wounding at least 16 more in a matter of seconds before killing himself.  It's the fourth shooting at a US education establishment within a week, which begs the eternal questions: Why, and what can we do?http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorThu, 28 Aug 2008 7:51:42 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/32121/mental-illness-drove-niu-killer-to-suicide-tries.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe shooter who left 5 dead and 15 injured at Northern Illinois University in February had tried to kill himself four times, an investigative effort by Esquire finds. “I want to die. Life sucks,” Steve Kazmierczak told a nurse after attempting to overdose on prescription medication while in high school in suburban Chicago.http://www.newser.com/story/32121/mental-illness-drove-niu-killer-to-suicide-tries.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 10 Jul 2008 11:19:37 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/25187/niu-shooter-saw-himself-as-sensitive-victim.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSteven Kazmierczak didn’t leave a note before his deadly February shooting spree at Northern Illinois University, nor clues to his motivations on his computer or cell phone. But in essays for graduate-school applications, the Chicago Tribune reports, the future killer writes extensively about his life and his mental problems—including a stint in a group home.http://www.newser.com/story/25187/niu-shooter-saw-himself-as-sensitive-victim.html?refid=rss_all_defaultMon, 21 Apr 2008 10:05:31 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/20813/va-tech-niu-gun-dealer-arm-students.html?refid=rss_all_defaultEric Thompson sold guns to both the Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech shooters, but he’s not apologizing for it. “I’m a businessman,” he tells the Los Angeles Times . “It’s a product.” But Thompson thinks he knows how to stop such violence: allow students to carry guns. “We know it’s going to happen again. It’s time to hit it head on.”http://www.newser.com/story/20813/va-tech-niu-gun-dealer-arm-students.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 05 Mar 2008 12:05:55 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/20316/students-arent-signing-up-for-text-alert-systems.html?refid=rss_all_defaultCampus shootings keep making headlines, and schools are increasingly adopting text message alert systems as a response—but students aren't jumping on the bandwagon, the AP reports. Experts chalk up low enrollment rates to students' sense of invincibility, unwillingness to reveal personal information and the cost of receiving texts. "It will take time to earn their trust," said one spokesman.http://www.newser.com/story/20316/students-arent-signing-up-for-text-alert-systems.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 28 Feb 2008 17:36:06 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/19939/questions-linger-as-niu-classes-resume.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAs Northern Illinois University resumes classes today, the prevailing feeling is uncertainty. One professor will leave it up to her class whether to stick to the syllabus or talk about the Valentine's Day shooting that left five students dead. Others question whether the semester's grading standards should change and wonder what will become of the scene of the tragedy, reports the Chicago Tribune.http://www.newser.com/story/19939/questions-linger-as-niu-classes-resume.html?refid=rss_all_defaultMon, 25 Feb 2008 3:34:20 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/19484/police-cant-find-motive-in-niu-shooting.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe student who killed five at Northern Illinois University last week took pains to stump investigators ahead of time, police say. Steven Kazmierczak pulled his computer’s hard drive and his phone’s SIM card; he also revealed little in a package to his former girlfriend. "The one thing I want to know is motive," NIU Police Chief Donald Grady said today. But he couldn't "even begin to assume a motive yet."http://www.newser.com/story/19484/police-cant-find-motive-in-niu-shooting.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 19 Feb 2008 18:45:10 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/19324/lover-airs-niu-shooters-letter.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe girlfriend of the gunman who murdered five students at Northern Illinois University Thursday talked to him every day last week, including the night before the shooting spree, and detected nothing amiss. "He wasn't erratic. He wasn't delusional. He was Steve; he was normal," Jessica Baty, 28, told CNN. Steven Kazmierczak, who killed himself after the carnage, sent her parting gifts and a love letter that read: "You've done so much for me, and I truly do love you. Don't forget about me!"http://www.newser.com/story/19324/lover-airs-niu-shooters-letter.html?refid=rss_all_defaultMon, 18 Feb 2008 6:35:28 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/19208/niu-shooting-victims-profiled.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAn Army Corps of Engineers vet who wanted to be a first grade teacher. A violinist who knit for fun. A rugby player and frat man who worked for the student newspaper. The Chicago Tribune profiles the five students gunned down in their oceanography class Thursday at North Illinois University, while police are still searching for the killer's motive. All of the victims—four of them women—had Illinois hometowns.http://www.newser.com/story/19208/niu-shooting-victims-profiled.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 16 Feb 2008 0:19:05 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/19223/police-piece-together-shooters-trail.html?refid=rss_all_defaultBefore his shooting rampage at NIU, Steven Kazmierczak spent two days in a motel, taking cold medicine and drinking Red Bull, the Chicago Tribune reports. He left behind no note, only a sealed duffel bag filled with gun ammo. Kazmierczak, who had stopped taking medication for anxiety, also sent his ex-girlfriend packages loaded with gun accessories. He instructed her not to open them until Valentine’s Day.http://www.newser.com/story/19223/police-piece-together-shooters-trail.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 16 Feb 2008 9:28:10 CST