While there are certainly those in the U.S. that use guns as tools for hunting and target shooting, it's clear that these are not the primary purchasers of guns, since the guns usually mentioned in the news are handguns, which are expressly created to create holes in people, (even if some manufacturers of large caliber revolvers insist that they have hunting utility, like the Smith & Wesson 500 or high powered rifles/assault weapons.
I can't help but wonder why the question of what makes consumers want to own handguns isn't explored with more interest. I'm not an expert on guns or on politics or social psychology, but it does seem like what people are after is a tangible object that gives them power over their own lives.
Maybe it's no surprise that a powerful country would be home to so many people that feel powerless, but that's a far cry from the image we're sold of ourselves as Americans.