Picking up a weapon should replace any AVAILABLE starting weapon. Accidentally replacing your flamethrower because you messed up your switch-and-grab feels really bad and can outright get you killed.
Your starter weapons should continue firing once your pickup has depleted. This is also partially an accessibility change for those who have difficulty processing things quickly.
Melee weapons should not be as risky as they are when fighting pumpkins.
Nightyard could stand to be not PITCH black, or increase the cone of the flashlight. Make flashlights turn on automatically after respawning. This is a game-wide problem, actually.