altering combat skill divisions Options

[Jason Farlander]

This has been touched on before in previous threads, but I figured it is worth its own deal. I am of the opinion that between SR's 2 and 3 the developers went a little overboard with trying to balance combat skills. I agree that "Firearms" and "Armed Combat" were both oversimplified, but the current proliferation of skills is a little bit on the ridiculously complex side of things (and often nonsensically so... )

I propose (as others have in the past) a sort of happy medium.

Gun skills as weapon skills would each be divided into three classifications, based primarily on weapon size and similarities in how the weapons are used (not "why", how). The firearm divisions would then be Small Arms (Pistols and SMGs), Long Arms (Rifles, Assault Rifles and Shotguns) and Heavy Weapons (which keep their current classification). Launch weapons would remain a separate skill, but laser weapons would be encorporated into the category that their size most resembles. Melee divisions would be Single-Handed Weapons, Two-Handed Weapons (both of which are self-explanatory) and Whips (which would remain the same).

Other than freeing up skill points for combat-centered characters, are there any game balance issues that this change would alter considerably?
Does anyone have an alternate proposal for consolidating weapon skills that they feel does a better job than this?