Something the gun lobby never admit is that the reason for that spike in 2002/3 is that the murders in 1998 by a serial killer were discovered then and included in the stats for that year. The graph also doesn't make clear that, even with that spike, the murder rate was about a quarter of that in the USA.
That said, the debate on US gun control is getting boring. If 20 dead kids in Sandy Hook couldn't change things, a couple of journalists sure won't.
Look, if the majority of Americans favour gun ownership without the sort of controls every other developed country has, that's your decision. However, please don't use lies to justify that. Statements like "carrying a gun makes you safer" or "gun control doesn't work, look at Chicago" or the all time classic "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" don't stand up to even the most basic examination.
The truth is, you want the right to carry guns and you're willing to tolerate around 11,000 deaths a year (homicide, suicide, accidents and "undetermined") in return for your desire being fulfilled.
Greg's first post summed it up far more succinctly.