Here is what he says about it:

The Latest Song

As I slowly became aware of the tragedy in Tucson, once again I felt a deep anger and disgust at the sheer senselessness of it all. Still, I thought, I'm not going to try to write anything about this because I'd probably just go incoherent. So, no song, I thought; then, a question kept coming up in my head––not for the first time––and I finally decided that it was a song unto itself, What If, No Matter ...
Peace,
Tom Paxton
Alexandria, VA
Jan 26, 2011