I have looked everywhere online and can't find an answer, I don't see anything strange in the database(actors, classes, or weapons) that should inhibit the ability to equip a weapon.

Go into the database check the classes tab and see if it's ticked for the class you want it to use the weapon.

Yup, and afterwards, make sure that your character is the right class to equip the weapon. Very simple.

Also, make sure that the actor's starting equipment in the database does not have the "fixed" box checked. If you have the box checked, it will not allow you to swap out equipment. If none of these answers have solved your problem, then we might need to get into a little more detail here.