You know if you think about it, the suggestion I made makes the most sense from a story perspective and from the cutscenes that you see. When Lae'zel drops out of the pod you don't see her wielding a longsword or having one on her back. So it would seem that she picked up the long sword sometime before you meet her. All she has is her armor when you see her for the first time.
It would not make sense for Shadowheart to start with a mace and shield. So when you first meet her she should probably be unarmed so that you have to give her weapons that you found on your way to her.
It makes sense for Astarion to begin with a couple of daggers when you first meet him because he had already escaped from the pod and had time to find weapons for himself. Same with Gale and Wyll.
Personally, I don't think this would change the game play that much either. Typically, I equip weapons to my characters that I find like crossbows and such almost immediately. There are only a few classes where this is not true like cleric, so all they'd have to do is make it so you find a mace or two right away. Basically, a weapon that would work for each class type.
