Actually, there is more at play here.

Let's take your example of the laser rifle. If it were used more, it would not be overpowered. Why? Because it takes more "skill" to use and it is a niche weapon. It cannot kill in close range effectively and will be outperformed vastly by close range weapons in CQC, so it has a weakness.

Let's compare it to the BAR. It takes about the same skill "skill" to use, seeing that they both have ridiculously accurate hipfire, no kick, and laser accurate. However, the Breach AR has more range than its regular variant, but doesn't do as well at range. Like the laser rifle, it has the potential to kill multiple people in one clip. However, it can disengage and then reengage, not like the laser rifle, where it has to be in one sitting. The laser rifle is also held back by its relatively low ammo reserves, while the breach is not. Also, the breach can cover multiple ranges, both close and medium, equally effectively, while the laser rifle does not.

There is also a discrepancy in the meaning of breach and this weapon's range. Typical breaches occur in CQC range, where it should absolutely dominate. However, for some odd reason, it does not lose range compared to its regular variant. Just another thought.

So in conclusion, (relative) ease of use coupled with adaptibility to different situations, make things OP, and the ease of use part leads to more people using it. So typically, a weapon being overused tends to mean it's OP, or at least marginally better at everything.