This game is called FREElancer ya'll. If i earn the money to buy a BS and equip it, then guess what? Im gonna fly it. No rule should disallow that. No rule should limit who can spend the money that they earned.
What DOES need to be done is this. Shut down the TAU 31 Harris > Macduff trade lane. It is an infinite source of money. I could spend a week at tau and have enough money to purchase WHATEVER I want, and equip it as I please, knowing that if I engage in combat with this ship, and it is destroyed or damaged, I can replace what I have lost in no time at all, and with no real dent in my pocket book. This is the real problem. Factions and Individuals alike take full advantage of this trade lane, knowing that it is "free" money. Take away Tau 31, and you will force a LOT of players to actually earn their ships. This will effect the number of capships in the game. There will be a lot of players and factions that will lose the ability to maintain and equip thier big ships.
I've heard a lot of rumors that the next version will be shutting down Tau 31's money source, I hope this is true. Players will be forced to fly longer trade missions to make any kind of reasonable profit. This will create the need for trade escorts, pirates will have to actually hunt for prey, and all factions will no longer be able to make 60 million an hour with thier Large trains.
Take away the money, and the capship population WILL dwindle.