On Handguns

I honestly do not understand the allure of handguns. There is precisely one use for such a weapon that doesn't involve shooting at paper targets at the range on Sunday afternoon (and i seriously do not believe that every, or even most, handgun owners set foot on a range more than once a year) and that is self defense. Is America seriously that dangerous a place that we need to be armed at all times? The crime stats simply do not bear that out. Someone please explain it to me.