They're considered archaic. Guns are far more commonplace. However, I dislike the finality of them. They're destructive, and pointlessly so.

[His angels don't, and that's fine. But he's always found them a bit impersonal for his liking. Entirely too simple to take a life, with not enough deliberation behind it.]

Crossbows allow the wielder to decide whether there's going to be a fighting chance or not.