Drones and quad-copters are a piece of hardware, that average day hobbyist and professionals use. They have not been shown to be an immediate threat to peoples safety. The government is looking for something they can put there sticker and fee's on and track who has what or else we pay a hefty fine.
The fact is that if someone wants do something illegal with a drone, they won't register that drone. The main purpose put forth at the DOT press conference was to track pilots who fly drones illegally. The current plans put forward at the press conference would mandate that I would have to register a 4 inch wide quad-copter that can only fly 50 feet.
The plans set forth are is a case of government oversight and should be stopped and overhauled with input from the public including drone users