Exactly! You mixed up your analogy though trying to make your point. Working as an unlicense and uninsured gunsmith would be the same as operating an unlicensed and uninsured mechanics shop. That's acting in a professional capacity without a license.BTW, 'wrenching' on a car is completely different from working as an unlicensed & uninsured gunsmith
A car wrencher is not acting in a professional capacity... and doing work on a buddies car would be the equivelant of an amateur gunsmith tinkering on a buddies firearm..... not even in the same realm as your buddy working unlicensed and uninsured in a commercial venture for profit.
If you're gonna act like an FFL taking in business from the public for profit then you dang well better have your FFL and be properly insured to conduct business. And yes, you must comply with the rules and regulations of your trade or face consequences.
He was obviously "acting" as an FFL or the alphabet wouldn't have required him to comply with FFL rules and regulations while conducting a business operation.
Different animals all together.
There is no law that requires a private citizen to maintain any kind of log book and "enter in" a firearm his buddy asked him to take a look and see if he can figure out why he's getting so many FTE's.... even if he keeps it overnight at his house... or a month... or the summer... so long as his buddy's good with him being a lazy a** about it.