On another website, a gentleman from Australia asked this question, and got this answer from yours truly. I put it here, FWIW.
<Being Australian, I have a stupid question to ask...
Why are Americans so fascinated by firearms...?
You may know, that in Australia, the general public
can't buy guns or rifles. A lot of us down under
really can't understand, why the need to have personal
firearms.>
It is not a stupid question at all, my friend.
It is not quite as uniquely American as your question implies that it is. Canada, I believe has a high number of firearms per capita, primarily due to the fact that a lot of Canada is still wilderness, and hunting is still very popular. In the rural areas, in particular, there are still a lot of firearms. And then there is Switzerland, where the militia tradition is still pretty strong, and a very high proportion of homes have not only sporting firearms, but military weapons.
There are other countries in Central Europe that have strong firearm traditions as well, where licenses to not only own, but to carry concealed, are easily obtained.
So, hopefully this goes to show that gun ownership is not a wholly American trait.
But the above does not answer the question as to why we are fascinated with them. In my case, the partial answer is that they are a lot of fun to own and to shoot. I have spent many an enjoyable session, both with my friends and by myself, target shooting, and in spite of my physical problems, (I have, as I have probably mentioned before, a mild case of cerebral palsy) I am really pretty good at shooting my handguns. And they are a challenge to master. I also have rifles and a few shotguns, although, I may have to restrict my rifle shooting to the smaller calibers due to the beginning of arthritis in my shoulder. Shooting is thus one of the few athletic activites that I can enjoy.
Firearms also have a utilitarian function as well. I have used one of my revolvers to dispatch an animal that was obviously in pain and beyond hope; in this case, it was a clearly-rabid skunk. I would have done it another time as well, but did not have my revolver with me. I know of rural veterinarians who use pistols to dispatch livestock, and in one case, this was done on my farm.
Then too, firearms are also useful for protection, and are used many times for this purpose. Indeed, the very features that make the so-called 'assault weapons' good for offense, also make them good for defense. They are light, handy, easy to shoot, have a high magazine capacity, and are fairly accurate as well.
Then too, many Americans, including myself, feel that our right to own firearms is one safeguard against a tyrannical government, because it provides us with the ability to resist, should our governmant become oppressive. Now, obviously, this argument has its' limitations, but I still feel that it has at least some validity.
The vast majority of guns in private hands are not misused, and such events as Newtown, (and for that matter, Hobart) as horrible as they are, are anomalies. Legislation affecting as basic a right as that of of self-defense, should not be based on anomalous events, such as these.
I recognize that you will probably not agree with many of the things that I said here, but I think that these are some of the reasons why we are reluctant to give up our guns. And I hope that even if my answer does not satisfy you completely, that it has at least given you something to think about.