ok, lets use your logic, that Chicago has such a high murder rate because even though they have extremely strict gun laws, Indiana has lax gun laws and is close to them.
Indiana has 5 homicide per 100k, Chicago is about 30 homicides per 100k. So, based on your logic, Chicago has high gun deaths because they are close to a state with lax gun laws. However, the state in question has 6x less murder rate, so the solution would be for Chicago and Illinois to remove their strict gun laws and be more like Indiana. Of course I know you don't believe this, I am just pointing how your argument is ridiculous. Keep studying up on DailyKOS and ThinkProgress, though I'm sure you "learn" a lot of other interesting things.
Also, even based on your chart, a spike to 20 year previos levels, is not just a statistical "abnormality," since none of the preceding years had spikes or dips similar to that.
Don't you care about those Black Lives? Chicago seems like ground 0 that we should be concerned about for #BlackLivesMatter , but BLM and folks like you are silent on that, so I think that's why yall might be full of bullshit! You just use BLM as a political tool at your disposal when it is convenient and benefits you.