Last night officials in Roeland Park, Kansas, ended a months long debate on their “pit bull” ban by voting to repeal the ordinance.
The vote was 6-2 in favor of repeal.
The discussion has been a long one, with many months of debate. The law, which was enacted in the late 80’s, had not been changed since its initial enactment.
The late 80’s and early 90’s were a pinnacle of hysteria surrounding pit bull types, with national headlines in publications such as Sports Illustrated and Time Magazine. There was no real data or science studying the issue of dangerous dogs.
Since we have seen vast leaps in the understanding of dog behavior and genetics, more and more of these kinds of laws are falling by the wayside.
Roeland Park joins a long list of Kansas cities that have repealed old and outdated breed discriminatory laws. This list includes Bonner Springs, Garden City, Spring Hill and Fairway. These cities all repealed in 2014.
The council meeting was heavily attended, with those for repeal vastly out numbering those for keeping the old law in place. Only one speaker was opposed to the repeal.
At the moment, people are still restricted from owning more than one dog identified as a pit bull. This limitation was included as an amendment and will be in effect until January 2018. There was opposition from the council to the amendment, but they voted to enact it in the interest of “compromise.”
Fred M. Kray
krisdiaz9
Stop BSL 