The real reason is and always will be ... Because they can!
This is the tyranny of Procedure. The citizen (or business) must now muster the resources to fight back against the unlimited resources of government. It is the war of time and money and government has the advantage with both.
You are both correct. Ask the Reese family in Deming, NM about persecution by the Feral Govt. Nobody will stand up for evil gun dealers. They could crucify them on the sidewalk out front and the MSM would not mention it. Gun dealers are Armenian Jewish Kulaks to this regime.