It's not gate-keeping. No reason not to be running a node if you've been in Bitcoin for a while, unless you have misunderstood the point of doing so.
Discussion
Furthermore, running a node benefits everyone. I don't mind if my rhetoric is too maximalist if it means even one person spins up a node.
What about those who can’t afford to do so? Will you say those people who run circular economies around Bitcoin are not bitcoiners just because they don’t run a node? I find your statement as a bit too much of an extreme