I wouldn't say the barriers are gone. It is still impossible to buy BTC from a licensed exchange in several states. Definitely making progress though.
compared to 2013 when your only option was wester union and dwolla and gox.... now those are some barriers
Actually, I was using gox and dwolla back in 2011 to buy coins. It was pretty simple. Now it is impossible for me to buy BTC from a licensed exchange. Hopefully they are able to clear the last few states from whatever legal hurdles are standing in the way soon.
