If you're a new player, and you get caught alone, you're probably going to die anyway. A fair game doesn't cater to lack of skill, so starting off with slightly worse gear is irrelevant.

Where does lack of skill come into it? I'm not talking about being outpositioned (map awareness) or ganged up on (community engagement; gameplay understanding), I'm talking about physically pointing your crosshair at your target and pressing Fire. 'Skill' in that sense is a level playing field. It's just as likely a new player will be as capable, or more capable, mechanically than an experienced player. The experienced player shouldn't be getting an artificial boost to their capabilities by having played longer. The stuff in the skill trees and Loot Boxes are supposed to be side-grades, but they're not - they're straight upgrades in many cases.

I'm not denying the fact that they are upgrades and that they provide an advantage.

I'm denying the implication that they have a meaningful impact on regular gameplay, aside from these hypothetical 1v1 wild west shootouts.