I had the exact same argument with biking equipement that I've been having on these boards for years. For example, I had a 250km run over 3 days as a summer course. Plenty of people signed on because, hey, easy course right?
People were told time and time again that there is a minimum equipement barrier that needs to be meet to enjoy the activity. Nothing fancy, but a 1000$+ investement still. People still showed up with beaten up 10 year old Canadian Tire "mountain" bikes and no bike pants. Guess what, these people didn't enjoy their trip, not one bit.
Same with airsoft! Sure, you can tag along and pretend to play, but you wont find it as enjoyable as you should because of shit gear and guns and I wont enjoy it because your lack of realism detracts from the simulation aspect of the sport.
Fuck, pay up, save up or shut up. It's that simple. Did you try to call Xbox 360 owners elitists just because they have the newest toy, all the while saying your PS2 can keep up? You'd get the same welcome than here with subpar gear.