Had a chat with a couple of the designers, and got more information. So here goes:
The reason for the nerf is twofold;
1. People simply crit too much against mobs. This is based on both observing players and testers, and internal experience.
2. It's very unbalancing in PvP to have a locked-supply scope which gives large benefits compared to the alternative.
The nerf is not in 14.6! The item will be edited in 14.6 to include a "future change" warning in the description, and the change itself will most likely be in 14.8.
One of our designers has been following the discussion and the suggestions closely, and is most inclined towards a damage bonus and removing the init penalties, and possibly adding a ranged init bonus.
Looks like the nerf itself is pretty much set in stone. LLTS will get the same crit chance as a TS-VE, but added bonuses. Getting IPR points in the same patch is an open question, which I follow up on later.
Let me get feedback on this, but please, understand that you make my job in bringing your thoughts to the designers a lot easier by staying constructive, backing up your statements, and not tying me to a pole and litting the firewood underneath me.
That said, I apologize for not getting the time to have that chat with the designers yesterday.