Hell, I was fine with my original loadout, but someone had to take all my weaponry and not use all the other many guns available. Therefore, my merc faction wasn't unque in a way to actually be a 'cool" faction that stands out.
The faction will stand out on how well you RP it, not on your "awesome gear", you could've have kept the load out you had before. Just because someone else has a gun doesn't mean you can't use it and in the long run of things, spending this much time just bickering on weaponry may be our folly, but time will tell to that. But believe me when it comes down to actually RPing battles, the gear doesn't become as important as you may think.
Just remember, in RP's, "cool" comes from what you write not sweet gear.