I had an FFL for one "term," ending about 5 years ago. The rule then seemed to be that a person who got licensed as a gunsmith only could work by appointment, but a regular dealer making purchases and so forth had to have regular hours. My excuse for getting the FFL was to do professional gunsmithing part time, but I wanted to be able to order surplus guns, actions, etc. to fix up. So I applied for a regular dealer FFL, but put something like "Sunday 3 - 6 PM" for my hours.
I got a call from an ATF guy who sounded like that actor William Devane with a sneering Boston accent. He didn't like my hours and said that a business with hours like that wasn't really a business at all. He wanted to know why I didn't just get the limited gunsmithing FFL, and was giving me a hard time all around. I told him I thought my business hours were my own concern and that a person doing any other part-time business would be free to operate whenever they wanted and would hardly be exempt from government business regulations (OSHA, etc.) because their odd hours prevented them from being considered a "real" business. He replied that dealing in guns wasn't any other business and that there was too many guns on the street down in Detroit. Also he accused me of being a nut who hates the federal government, but I lied and said I wasn't. Finally, he asked me what I would do as a dealer in various situations -- straw purchasers, multiple handgun purchases, etc.
After all this, the guy suddenly shifted gears and said he would approve my license, that I was more knowledgeable than average, and that they didn't expect any trouble from dealers out in the sticks like me anyway.
I think the whole phone call was just a test or mind game to see if I'd totally blow my top. Something like what drill sergeants do to recruits in the early weeks of basic training. But that insight did not prevent me from physically shaking with anger when I hung up the phone. Anger isn't even quite the right word -- I felt something like what German Jews or Japanese-Americans must have felt when they were rounded up for the concentration camps. Just powerless before an arbitrary government and guilty until proven innocent.
I did get the FFL, of course, but having the business out of my home was an uncomfortable situation. They want you to have a separate building or very distinctly defined part of your house set aside for the business alone, which wasn't practical for me. And you basically give up at least part of your protection against warrantless searches. With things getting worse under Clinton, I was relieved to buy myself a couple cheap SKS's at the last minute and to let my FFL run out. Now I support my local dealer and let him handle the Gestapo.