That could include a revival of the assault weapons ban, something that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, has said she plans to introduce. It could also result in executive orders that would bypass the legislative process, Biden said Wednesday.

The NRA will participate in the task force meetings this week, mostly to "hear what they have to say," Arulanandam said.

Whether the effort in Washington results in significant changes to America's gun laws isn't clear.

What is clear, according to Kellermann -- who led research with the now defunct CDC program -- is that the nation has lost valuable time.

"Democracy is not served by ignorance and by excluding certain topics," he said. "I think that's been the real loss in this case."