DDinMCMI

According to FCC Rule Part 95.1705:
(b) Individual licensee responsibility. The holder of an individual license to operate GMRS stations is responsible at all times for the proper operation of the stations in compliance with all applicable rules in this part.
(d) Individual licensee duties. The holder of an individual license:
(1) Shall determine specifically which individuals, including family members, are allowed to operate (i.e., exercise operational control over) its GMRS station(s) (see paragraph (c) of this section);
(2) May allow any person to use (i.e., benefit from the operation of) its GMRS repeater, or alternatively, may limit the use of its GMRS repeater to specific persons;
(3) May disallow the use of its GMRS repeater by specific persons as may be necessary to carry out its responsibilities under this section.
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E/section-95.1705
That would suggest to me that a repeater operator is in at least part responsible for maintaining legal use of the repeater.  While it say the operator "may" disallow use of the repeater by specific persons, it references that this may be necessary in order to carry out the responsibilities of the repeater licensee, which would be the same responsibilities applied to any individual operator.  Operators do have control over traffic on their repeaters via DCS and CTCSS access.  Granted it's not foolproof, and there's always a possibility of something slipping through the cracks.  I'm guessing the FCC would take that into account provided the repeater operator shows due diligence to the best of their ability.

Think of it this way.  Would you allow someone to pick up your radio and use it without your permission?  GMRS repeaters are personally-owned radios.  When you access a repeater you a in effect using equipment that belongs to someone else.  They have the right to determine who can use their radio.  The airwaves are public.  The equipment is not.
Related to that is the issue of liability.  As repeater owners are themselves licensed GMRS operators, they are legally responsible for any transmissions utilizing their license.  That includes any traffic retransmitted through their repeater equipment.  Should an outside operator violate FCC rules or operate unlicensed through a repeater, the FCC can hold the repeater operator liable and subject to penalty.  Basically you are using someone else's license when you access their repeater.  They have the right and responsibility to protect their license and insure that everything that comes out of their radio is legal and above-board.
As far as the use of GMRS, I agree that it is for the most part not a hobby-based medium in the vein of Ham radio, although that may change somewhat as GMRS gains more popularity.  The evolution of GMRS clubs, repeater nets and repeaters in largely-populated areas has lent itself to more general social traffic among radio enthusiasts.  I doubt GMRS will ever reach the hobby aspect of Ham just because of the technical limitations, but I could see more hobbyist use as interest and network infrastructure grows. 

Think of it this way.  Would you allow someone to pick up your radio and use it without your permission?  GMRS repeaters are personally-owned radios.  When you access a repeater you a in effect using equipment that belongs to someone else.  They have the right to determine who can use their radio.  The airwaves are public.  The equipment is not.
Related to that is the issue of liability.  As repeater owners are themselves licensed GMRS operators, they are legally responsible for any transmissions utilizing their license.  That includes any traffic retransmitted through their repeater equipment.  Should an outside operator violate FCC rules or operate unlicensed through a repeater, the FCC can hold the repeater operator liable and subject to penalty.  Basically you are using someone else's license when you access their repeater.  They have the right and responsibility to protect their license and insure that everything that comes out of their radio is legal and above-board.
As far as the use of GMRS, I agree that it is for the most part not a hobby-based medium in the vein of Ham radio, although that may change somewhat as GMRS gains more popularity.  The evolution of GMRS clubs, repeater nets and repeaters in largely-populated areas has lent itself to more general social traffic among radio enthusiasts.  I doubt GMRS will ever reach the hobby aspect of Ham just because of the technical limitations, but I could see more hobbyist use as interest and network infrastructure grows. 

That's what I figure.  I suppose I could have just loosened the screw and left it in.  I just don't want it to accidentally loosen enough to fall out of the antenna.  This way I know where the screw is as I put the Ziploc bag in the radio box.  Even if I lose it at some point, it doesn't matter as the rubber duck secures nicely without it.  I use the longer whip or mobile magnet-mount most of the time anyway.
Now if I can just find the belt clip.  As the saying goes, "it didn't walk out of the house....."

I just set the screw aside in a Ziploc bag for safe keeping.  Makes it easier to change out antennas on the fly, as the screw really isn't necessary to hold the antenna in-place.