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Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), in Tucson this past weekend. But the response to that shooting has underscored how removed from the debate Congress truly is. Over the past months, weeks and even days, a series of major gun policy-related developments have occurred with barely any input or commentary from federal legislators -- or, for that matter, the national press.

In Texas, the state legislature has pledged to take up several bills -- or perhaps one package -- that would allow firearms at colleges and exempt guns and ammunition from sales taxes, among other proposed changes.

Montana passed a law declaring that any firearms manufactured and sold within state boundaries were exempt from federal reach. The federal district court in Montana ruled against the state, concluding that the weapons were still subject to the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause. (Full disclosure: my wife worked on the case for the Department of Justice.) But 19 states are considering a similar measure, and an additional eight -- including Arizona -- have passed one.