Campus massacre revives pain for NIU shooting victim's father

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The campus massacre in Oregon revives the pain and horror experienced by the father of one of five Northern Illinois University students gunned down on February 14, 2008.

PHOTOS: Deadly campus shooting in Oregon

Eric Mace says the pain he suffers from never goes away. In the wake of another mass shooting, he's reliving the death of his daughter Ryanne. She was just 19 when she was gunned down on the NIU campus.

"I was plunged into this cold, dark place that shocked me and made me struggle to get out of it," Mace said.

Since his daughter was killed, he's worked on a campaign to make sure people concentrate more on the victims than the person who took them.

Mace says he has a strong reaction each time he hears about a campus shooting.

"To paraphrase, it was, 'Oh crap, another one.' I've been down this road too many times. In the early years, in the first couple or three years after NIU, every single one of them basically ripped me in half," Mace said.

Mace says he doesn't know what the solution is to stopping mass killings, but it's way past time to seriously discuss options.

"People need to come together and start talking about this in a real and rational way instead of a screaming, I-don't-wanna-lose-something or take something kind of mode," Mace said.

Mace went on to say that people with different points of view need to come together. With so many children being killed, something must be done.

While he realizes it cannot happen overnight, the grieving father says he just wants to see progress and the number of shootings reduced.