It is easier to have a very large number of long guns for practical purposes without ever "doubling up" in one area. For hunting you could own dozens of rifles of different types, sizes and calibers which would legitimately be used for different types of game or locations.
Whereas handguns are not used for hunting so much so the only actual purpose they have is pretty much down to home/personal defence in terms of the mass market. For this purpose people will generally only have a few pistols at most as you will pick a caliber that you believe is sufficient and become proficient with one particular gun. I'm assuming that most people don't carry a .380 ACP normally, but switch it up to a 9x19mm sub compact if they are going out at night, and go all out with a double stack .45 ACP if they are going to a dodgy are.
As far as I can see the only reason why people would have a large number of pistols is if they likes collecting and shooting them. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I own a dozen guns and only a couple of them are used for anything other than fun. I come from England where you pretty much can't own pistols, but I do have a couple of black powder revolvers and a Buckmark that is converted to be legally not a pistol by adding a weight at the back and having an extended barrel. These are purely for fun though.
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