That's my take on it, too-- from 1983 until 2002, I held a FFL with an NFA endorsement- dropped it because of the expense, liability, and hassle.
There was a great, largely internal debate among the firearms industry whether "kitchen table dealers" actually hurt or helped more mainstream stores.
After most were driven out of business ( and no, I was not one of them- had a standalone building ) some groups conceeded that this move really hurt everyone, overall- but it was too late to correct it.
Here's one group that tried to save the kitchen table dealers:
Amfire.com website is run by the largest and oldest firearms ...
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American Firearms Industry Magazine
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Reprinted from American Firearms Industry Magazine January 1996.
Reprinted from American Firearms Industry Magazine January 1996. Dealer
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American Firearms Industry Buyers Guide
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