1. If you are cornered by a gang, you’re probably screwed anyway, no matter the arms involved, so I guess this is a moot point.

2. Baseball bats do not fit into jacket pockets. I can’t walk into a bar with one and no one notices.

3. Destructive power of a bat is so much lower than of a gun. Sure you can kill a person with it, but not a dozen of people on the street (easily).

4. Baseball bats are kind of localised. I can be hit by a stray bullet but unless I’m right in the heat of a fight, I won’t be accidentally killed by a baseball bat.

5. Melee weapons wound first, kill second. It is much harder to shoot to wound. So with a melee weapon you can stop more easily.

6. If I’m heavily intoxicated, I may struggle to wield a bat with any efficiency, but still fire bullets around.

If someone wants to apply direct, criminal level of bodily harm, sure, they can use a knife. Already, this is a higher risk, as they have to stand closer to me etc. But the risk of collateral damage seems so much lower when guns are not involved.