New gun owners who are left-leaning, what happened that changed your mind about buying a gun for the first time?

Gun ownership among Americans who identify politically as left-of-center has spiked in the last five years. Personally, I bought my first handgun the day that Alabama announced their first (and only) pandemic lockdown, after it suddenly occurred to me that the state couldn't guarantee my safety if things got really, really bad. I've heard a handful of stories in a similar vein since then, and would love to hear yours.