Sometimes it's not a "pitbull" because it's a "staffy" or a "bully" or a various mix with presa canario/dogo argentino.
It is pretty much always a fighting breed/mix, with the general strong-jaw/short-hair/large-head look.
I don't think it's a mistake that the vast majority of dogs in my local humane society are now these types of dogs.
Dog breeding for fighting has very little to do with temperament and a whole lot to do with physiology and intelligence. They have very strong neck and jaw muscles, and are very large. That means the stakes for aggression are much higher. Smaller dogs are more likely to be aggressive and neurotic, and can legitimately take more work to train and socialize. Larger dogs, across the board, regardless of specific breed, cause more damage when they attack.
The lockjaw myth and killer instinct myth are just that - myths. The statistics of dog attacks and fatalities are woven into a complex tapestry of human behaviors and circumstances - demonizing a particular breed is about as stupid and kneejerk an argument as can be made.
https://spartacuslawfirm.com/top-car-models-with-the-most-du...
The Acura NSX has the most DUIs associated with it. That's probably due to the culture around people who want those cars, their socio-economic conditions, the level of enforcement on that demographic, the overall number of cars made available for purchase, the level of marketing, how the marketing was targeted, and so on, and so forth.
DUIs being associated with that particular car has nothing to do with Acura NSX being more or less likely to cause the driver to be drunk. More attacks associated with pit bulls have nothing to do with the breed except at a superficial level. All sorts of cultural baggage and irresponsible human behavior underpins every dog attack, and banning a breed of dog isn't going to impact the rate of dog attacks in the slightest.
Weight limits tied to graduated licensing such that someone has to demonstrate they can be responsible before owning a potentially dangerous animal might be reasonable. If you want a Saint Bernard, you have to demonstrate the resources and capacity to handle it responsibly, etc. If someone doesn't have the resources or time, they've got no business owning the animal.
> They have very strong neck and jaw muscles, and are very large. That means the stakes for aggression are much higher.
They are fighting dogs, just like a herding dog is a herding dog.
This link also directly addresses the "pitbulls are N% of fatalities" claim:
"A 2013 American Veterinary Medical Association Study examining fatal attacks from the last decade found that a valid determination of breed was only possible in 17.6% of these cases, and found no increased risk from pit bulls. However, DogsBite.org, a pro-BSL group, found that pit bulls were responsible for 65.6% of fatal attacks during a similar time period. One possible explanation for these significant discrepancies is the studies’ varying methodologies. Critics of BSL argue that increased safety concerns about pit bulls are largely the result of reporting bias: Some research has shown that animals that have bitten are more likely to be identified as pitbulls or pit bull mixes after the fact. In addition, significantly more media attention is given to attacks involving dogs identified as pitbulls than to those involving other breeds. Pro-BSL studies, by and large, tend to rely on surveys of media reports to generate their estimates."