All this suggestion was meant just to nerf minigunners because some wannabe-Avatar fan tried to beat highly skilled soldier with minigun, using only sticks and rocks (like in the movie, yep).
Except it isn't a highly skilled soldier at all period. It's some dude in a wasteland with a machine gun. The only people close to being "soldiers" by any traditional sense of the word would be in the Enclave, BoS, or NCR everyone else is technically just a guy with a gun in a desert. The methods to train actual soldiers for the most part faded away in a nuclear fire so what you're left with is a country full of guns and people, that doesn't make them soldiers though.
Soldiers have a training regime which includes among other things unarmed and bayonet drills with a rifle training in almost all cases (you know, minus clerks and medical technicans and other noncombat trades) precisely because the scenario of being disarmed can happen. You can be rushed and grappled by someone quick enough. You can have omeone pull a knife on you while you're struggling impotently to get that enemy in your firing arc, while he's actively stuggling against you. You can have your throat cut effortlessly in that time ending your struggle quickly. Meanwhile character builds typically feature 200+ ranks in their primary weapon skill and minimal in anything else - fallout characters are talented gunmen for the most part who lack the well rounded repetoire of skills to deal with that reality of combat.
I'm not suggesting minigunners die instantly in mellee combat, I'm suggesting that the difficulty of fighting in close quarters with a large weapon, not just minguns, but all the big guns and, hell, rifles among the small guns and energy weapons while we're at it be reflected through serious accuracy penalties at close range.
Why? Because it adds another dynamic to the game and dynamic combat in games is what makes them fun. If it doesn't work out then simply change it back later it's not worth not testing something that could be fun for everyone because some people are afraid crying "Don't nerf me bro". It's not a nerf, lets face it minigunners own and will own people most of the time even with this change in effect, seriously how often do you run into mellee range just to burst someone?
Machine guns and rifles are not and should not be treated as magical swiss army knives ideal for every situation - they're not. And reflectin that in game would add an interesting new dynamic to the game that's worth considering.