Surely the biggest argument of all against the clothing, you know yourself how expensive it is and hence the anger at the rule change.
It's so expensive surely this must be very off-putting for new shooters, the thought of having to purchase your own kit plus a rifle etc....?
At this point I will declare that I am a pistol shooter as Robin knows, However I do also shoot rifles at weekends and this is where I am qualified to offer my own opinion, which is that I have no desire to shoot 10m precision air rifle - not because I'm not interested in doing so (quite the reverse) however, I have no desire at all to dress up in what looks like a two piece divers outfit (complete with the bloody boots) and I also lack the disposable income to finance the purchase of same even if I did...
If it was protective clothing and therefore necessary I'd agree 100% with you, but it isn't - it exists to give a specialized competitive advantage.
If it was removed from the sport - do you honestly believe there would be any serious detriment to the sport.
I don't, sure some older shooters would find it harder to compete with younger, fitter shooters (no offence intended) - but thats nature for you and true in nearly all sports and actually would serve to distinguish outstanding achievement IMO.