Springfield voters will decide whether to ban pit bulls. A national org urges 'no'

Alissa Zhu | Springfield News-Leader

Springfield voters will decide in less than two months whether to keep or repeal a city-wide ban on pit bulls.

The Aug. 7 election ballot measure has drawn attention from at least one national organization.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is urging to people to vote "no" on the ban.

Andy Briscoe, director of state legislation for ASPCA, Central region, based in Jefferson City, said his organization is working closely with Springfield pit bull advocates.

ASPCA has encouraged people in southwest Missouri to contact the "grassroots" Citizens Against BSL if they're interested in volunteering their time to canvas or distribute pamphlets, Briscoe said.

More: Pit bull ban: Volunteers turn in more than 7,800 signatures for repeal campaign

He said ASPCA has also helped "amplify the message" of Springfield's Citizens Against BSL in alerts to members across the country.

"Our supporters nationwide can reach out to friends, family and loved ones in Springfield to encourage them to vote no on the matter," Briscoe said.

Briscoe said it's common for his organization to step in and speak out whenever there's an effort by a municipality to ban a specific breed.

In 2017, ASPCA was involved with a successful effort to get a pit bull ban in the city of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, struck down in court.

Several months ago, when Springfield City Council was first considering the pit bull ban, Briscoe testified in Council Chambers.

He and dozens of others urged city leaders to consider alternate policies to decrease the number of dog bites without singling out a certain breed.

Briscoe said implementing more severe penalties on negligent owners, going after all vicious dogs and providing more educational opportunities for animal owners "would be a lot more proactive and a lot more productive for the city."

The city already has a restricted and vicious dog ordinance which penalizes dogs and dog owners of all breeds. Council members who opposed the pit bull ban argued that the city should focus on better enforcing the non-breed specific ordinance.

Despite public outcry, in October, City Council passed the pit bull ban in a 5-4 vote.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department had strongly recommended banning pit bulls. They presented statistics about pit bull bites over the years, which they said are more frequent and severe than bites from other types of dogs.

The ban would have gone into effect in January, if Citizens Against BSL had not led a successful petition effort to try to overturn the ban.

Within a month, thousands of people had signed a petition, forcing City Council to either repeal the ban or send it to the ballot.

They chose to let the voters of Springfield decide during the Aug. 7 election.

Briscoe said his organization wants people to know, if the ban is passed: "Their freedom and liberty to pick the pet of their choice (will have) been taken away."

If passed, the ban would set a deadline for pet owners to register their pit bull.

After the deadline, no new registrations would be allowed and any unregistered pit bulls found in city limits could be seized.

The ASPCA commissioned a survey by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy about breed specific legislation.

The poll was conducted via landline and cell phones in April, reaching 625 registered Missouri voters, according to a news release.

It found that 62 percent of voters in Missouri are opposed to a pit bull ban in Springfield, the release said.

Sixty-seven percent of Missouri voters believe that government leaders should not have the authority to ban people from owning specific breeds of dogs, according to the release.

The ballot language will be as follows, according to the Greene County Clerk's website: