Why do police officers carry guns?

Tasers are used by law enforcement personnel as a replacement for the nightstick or blackjack for non-leathal incapacitation. The reason tasers are preferred over clubs is because for clubs to be used, the perp must be literally beaten senseless, or until they stop resisting, which often resulted in injuries. A taser does not cause such injuries. It simply electrically interrupts the brain's signals to the muscles causing instant incapacitation.