Washington State Lawmaker Looks To Pass A Law Banning Pit Bull Bans

A growing discontent with pit bull bans and Breed Specific Legislation has been peaking throughout this year. Multiple locales in the country have been rolling back their bans. Recently, a Washington state legislator has been pushing to advance a bill that would simply ban pit bull bans. The Inquisitir reported on changes being made to pit bull bans in Louisiana as a result of Zeus’ ruling.

The Yakima Herald-Republic reported that Washington state lawmaker Sherry Appleton pre-filed a bill that would undo pit bull bans throughout the state of Washington and other BSL related ordinances. The bill’s language carries wording that has been the single contentious issue between opponents and proponents of pit bull bans and BSL.

“a dog’s breed is not inherently indicative of whether or not the dog is dangerous.”

This language is sure to spark bitter debate between both sides as it is the singular notion that starts and keeps pit bull bans in place. In Yakima, Washington, their ban has faced challenges since its inception in 1987. Last December, the city’s ban faced a vote to keep or repeal, with a 6-1 vote to keep the pit bull ban in place.

Ultimately, the ordinance would face another impasse in April, when the pit bull ban was challenged in a different way. Exceptions to the ban were made for pit bulls who were registered as service animals under the American’s with Disabilities Act. The exception was put to a vote, which modified the ban by a 5-2 margin.

According to CBS Denver, a similar law exists in Denver and Aurora. In fact, in Denver, the report suggests that cops must look the other way if the pit bull is a service dog.

Under the American’s with Disabilities ruling, stipulations would apply to the exception. The service pit bulls would need to be muzzled in public and kept in a secured enclosure at home. If pit owner’s do not meet those requirements, they were fined $250. Then, the animal is potentially taken and euthanized by authorities.

The Washington state representative’s law, however, does not have completely repeal the pit bull ban. Breed Specific Legislation would be repealed throughout the state, but “dangerous” dog ordinances would remain intact. The potential pit bull ban repeal legislation states that BSLs cause an “undue hardship on “responsible” dog owners.

Washington representative Sherry Appleton introduced a similar bill earlier this year with a public hearing, but the pit bull ban repeal legislation never went to a vote. The American Bar Association lists 12 other states that have already taken this action at this time.

[Image Via Creative Commons]