Why are my tools disappearing?

So, I have a mapchanger that I'm scripting, and for some reason my tools disappear when I try to equip them once I change the mode.

I have one script that initializes the modes, and handles new players

_G.mode = ""

_G.modes = {
    rcl = {game.ServerStorage:WaitForChild("GPR"), game.ServerStorage:WaitForChild("PSTL")},
    reapers = {game.ServerStorage:WaitForChild("Reaper-7")},
    swords = {game.ServerStorage:WaitForChild("Sword")},
    warc = {game.ServerStorage:WaitForChild("W17"), game.ServerStorage:WaitForChild("Y14")}
}

game.Players.PlayerAdded:connect(function(plyr)
    if _G.mode ~= "" then
        for i,v in pairs(_G.modes[_G.mode]) do
            v:Clone().Parent = plyr.StarterGear
        end
        wait(1)
        plyr:LoadCharacter()
    end
end)

Then, in a module script, I set the mode like so, using a chat command:

commands.setmode = function(args, speaker)
    if #args == 1 then
        _G.mode = args[1]
        for i,v in pairs(game.Players:GetChildren()) do
            v.StarterGear:ClearAllChildren()
            for k,x in pairs(_G.modes[_G.mode]) do
                local clone = x:Clone()
                x.Parent = v.StarterGear
            end
            v:LoadCharacter()
            commands.error({"Mode changed to " .. args[1]}, v)
        end
    else
        commands.error({"Cannot have multiple modes"}, speaker)
    end
end

I know I need to do some more checks in the second one, but when testing with valid modes the tools are parented to the StarterGear fine, yet when I try to equip them the handle is invisible/nonexistent and the tool doesn't work. Any help?