Part of the problem is the technology got too good. Back when I started you had to build, ARFs were too expensive and not many were around. You didn't walk into a store, mall, etc and walk out with a flyable aircraft with a gyro making it easy to fly without instruction. Add in the new light weight digital cameras that can mount on said aircraft allowing you to see a live from the aircraft's view, stir in a few terrorism fears and boom R/C legislation! Can you honesty say you didn't see it coming years ago with the cheap drones showing up all over the place?
I think all drone pilots for hire should be required to hold a FAA license and all of these commercial drones and those equipped with live video be required to have an airworthiness certificate, and required to have regular maintenance/inspection checks from licensed A&Ps. Then maybe the situation will calm down for the hobbyist. Will we have to curtail activitycertain areas? You bet! We all ready do that with restrictions on turbines and aircraft size limits; still it still beats losing the hobby completely.