State Rep. Steve Butz is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the St. Louis Democrat talked about stemming gun violence.

Butz represents Missouri’s 81st District, which takes in portions of south St. Louis. He was first elected to the Missouri House in 2018 and was reelected in 2020 and 2022.

Here’s what Butz discussed on the show:

• His hope that there is increasing momentum in Jefferson City to bar juveniles from carrying guns after a shooting at a downtown St. Louis party left one person dead and 11 people injured.
• Why he supports a board appointed by a governor to oversee the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. That idea gained traction this session but failed to get across the finish line.
• What issues could be priorities in the 2024 legislative session, such as an effort to legalize sports betting and a ballot item to make constitutional amendments more difficult to pass.
• Democratic prospects for the 2024 election cycle, including whether the party can field competitive candidates for governor and the U.S. Senate.

Butz is a longtime resident of southeast St. Louis who is president of Crawford Butz Insurance Agency, one of the state’s largest family-owned insurance companies. He first ran for the House in 2016, falling short to eventual winner Fred Wessels.

But after Wessels decided not to run for another term in 2018, Butz ran again for the seat — this time winning a close Democratic primary against Travis Estes. After running unopposed in 2020, Butz defeated then-St. Louis Alderman Bill Stephens in the Democratic primary, which is tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic district.

Butz serves on House committees dealing with insurance, tax policy and transportation.