I don’t know about that. Right from the outset, you (the US) have had the whole mythos about the valiant frontiersman fending off bears and indians and outlaws - the whole Wild West myth.
I think Humbabella’s points sum it up pretty well:
Particularly the first one. The US (to me at least) appears to have a long-standing fetish for the “gun” as a symbol of manhood and freedom.
Your (again Americans as a whole rather than you specifically) self image (whether you’re for or against guns) is built around their existence and use.
