I just saw the sequel, and to me, this raises a lot of thought on lightsabers. Sorry to double post, but it's been a few weeks.
They're an incredibly brutal weapon. They instantly hack through limbs and flesh. They cause massive amounts of collateral damage and can kill their wielder if their attention slips for a second. Deflecting blasters cause ricochets which could be lethal.
No wonder only Jedi use them. Anyone else would massacre their own allies or even themselves. That also explains why Jedi don't use force attacks during lightsaber duels--they must be using their powers to keep from accidentally hacking off a limb or slicing a support beam in two or deflecting a blaster bolt at their buddy's head.