What game have you been playing? The vast majority of fights I get in are pistol fights. I love it when someone tries to challenge with the AR because at close range it's really not difficult to get a perfect kill and the weapons are balanced that you can do that without dying to an AR person. Add how easy it is to throw off an automatic weapons aim with thruster and I don't see the problem. When I play, I don't see people cowering with the pistol at all. The only time I'll even worry about challenging with the pistol is against the dmr or light rifle at a very long range, and that is how it feels most people at least in diamond/plat level seem to play. I think kill times are a little too long, but I'm a CE man through and through. However, with teamshooting, it's insanely easy to drop people virtually instantly with just pistols. I'd bet money that I get killed via pistol more than 3 times as much as the AR.
Also, skill gap is still insanely important and the br is insanely easy to use. I'm adamantly against br starts. With the br it feels like a guaranteed 4sk, where as with the pistol, you have to work for it. If anything, I wish there was a few less brs around the map because when I'm playing like a noob in tilt, it feels impossible to out shoot the easy to use br.