Where do you think the belief that Americans have about Canada not having firearms originates?

I'm Canadian, and I considered getting my Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) in my early twenties. At that time, I decided against it because I couldn't afford the associated costs, like memberships. Now that I'm older, I'm reconsidering obtaining the license. When I was in my twenties, I studied the regulations and engaged in discussions on social media. I often noticed that many Americans assume Canada has no firearms or has very little access to them. However, this isn't true; Canada has nearly 40 firearms for every 100 people. When I explain the process of obtaining a firearms license in Canada, many Americans think it's excessively restrictive compared to their own laws. They often mention how they can simply go to a Bass Pro Shop and buy an AR-15 with little difficulty. In my opinion, the application process for the PAL license is quite reasonable, I'm also surprised that many Americans don't have to take a gun safety course when acquiring firearms. I'm interested in hearing the thoughts of actual Canadians on why they think Americans hold these assumptions. I'm not writing this to criticize anyone; I'm just curious because the only person I could talk about firearms with was my grandfather, and he has passed away. I don't mean to be hurtful or condescending; I'm just genuinely curious. and When you're curious, you should ask questions.