Well, to be honest, they can equip it, but bows and guns go on your "main" slot so if you put a sword there, you have no ranged weapon because there is no more "ranged" slot anymore.

With no melee there is no dead-zone anymore, and Hunters can shoot you at point blank. Most Hunters are 100% happy with it but, again, I feel the class got more simple, more shallow.

But given Hunters got a buff and other classes are now free of Hunters greedy fingers so, in the end... everybody wins?