The term “deplatforming” first lept to prominence when a gun control organization founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords tried to shut down a so-called “ghost gun” website hosting 3D printing plans for firearms. Cody Wilson’s response that “This is an attempt to apply pressure to deplatform a legal, American business selling legal products to law-abiding customers” went viral at the time, ushering the term into the momentary mainstream before fading away again. Picking up slightly in April 2018 the term truly hit mainstream in Aug. 2018 with the banning by many sites of Alex Jones (around the same time it first began appearing on television news) and has been on the uptick thus far this month.