If members of Congress are going to use the Gabby Giffords shooting as an excuse not to hold town hall meetings, this essentially excuses them from going anywhere, ever. How nice for them to be completely isolated from the people they claim to represent.

However, it should be noted that while a number of recent town hall meetings have been attended by some rather angry constituents, nobody has died. The fear of getting shot isn’t quite the same thing as the fear of having to defend a political position unpopular with the people, or the fear of having to answer an awkward or embarrassing question.