Murder rates are not high due to gun ownership, but rather to demographics and the cultures therein.
The murder rate among Norwegian-Americans is comparable to that of the country of Norway. Think about that.
Yes, I'm not ignoring that. That was part of my point. But, I also include suicide as 'murder' in these numbers. Guns are great tool, and many people use them for suicide. Culturally, that is also why the states[bottom 10] have the least gun ownership also have the lowest suicide rates in the US.