By all means, city officials should try to work with downtown nightclub owners to address problems related to violence and crime. But if it comes down to a choice between preserving “our music scene” and preserving the safety of people in downtown Lawrence, there should be no contest.

Lawrence city commissioners are considering various options to address violent incidents that have occurred in or near downtown nightspots in recent months. A man was shot and killed outside the Granada, 1020 Mass., in February, and shots were fired inside The Last Call, 729 N.H., last month. Police also have found guns inside vehicles parked near downtown nightclubs on numerous occasions.

Among the options city officials are studying are new licensing requirements for nightclubs. The license, which would give city officials the right to prohibit clubs from sponsoring live performances or disc jockey events, was the main focus of club owners and music promoters who spoke at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting.

A license limiting performances was instituted in Olathe, they said, and has all but eliminated live music performances in that city. Although the club owners and music promoters are mourning that consequence, one has to wonder what Olathe residents gained with their new license procedure. Did they gain a measure of safety while losing the live music?

“One of our greatest assets here is our music scene,” Nick Carroll, owner of two downtown music venues, told commissioners Tuesday, “and I’m worried some of these ideas could hurt it.”

It’s true that Lawrence’s “music scene” is attractive to a segment of our relatively young population. Unfortunately, a certain number of the people who are attracted to live music performances also seem to be attracted to weapons and attitudes that can lead to dangerous and even deadly confrontations in downtown Lawrence.

It’s fine for city commissioners to pursue what Mayor Mike Amyx called “a homegrown effort” to try to improve downtown safety while also preserving venues for live music performances. However, nightclub owners and music promoters need to recognize that continued gunplay and other violent incidents in and around live performances won’t be tolerated.

Lawrence may value its live music scene, but it values much more the safety and security of people and property in downtown Lawrence.