Which breed are you talking about?
"pit bull" is a type and a rather nebulous one at that.
The dogs in question are more accurately referred to as terrier types or bulldog types.
To me "pit bull" is a functional term.
It refers to only one function for which some types and breeds of dogs have been used.
They have been used for many other functions.
I would be no more likely to call all the dogs that you do, "pit bulls"
than I would call all Irishmen, 'potato farmers' or all blacks, 'cotton pickers'.
That is the way I see it.
You say the 'rates' are unacceptable. What are these 'rates'?
In order to know a rate,
the number of occurrences must be known as well as the total population.
If you do not know the both the numerator and the denominator with accuracy
then the posited rate is just a blind guess.
But, be that as it may, what are 'acceptable rates'?
To me, even one death caused by any type or breed of dog is unacceptable
and virtually every one preventable through responsible ownership.
In a society where Freedom is cherished,
education is used to inculcate responsible behavior
and irresponsible behavior is punished.
The question then becomes how can responsibility be most effectively taught
and how can irresponsible behavior be most effectively policed and punished.
Standard “it depends on what your definition of ‘is’ is” fare frequently offered up from pit bull advocates to try to make it seem that it’s just impossible to pin down what kind of dog is doing ALL THIS KILLING. Instead, with a wave of the hand, they try to redirect “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” but it just doesn’t work.
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Quoting you:
The question then becomes how can responsibility be most effectively taught
and how can irresponsible behavior be most effectively policed and punished.
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No. That’s not the question. Pit bull owners don’t want to be responsible for the damage their dogs do (OH DON’T TAKE ME TO JAIL! NOOOOOO!!!!) and rarely if ever carry insurance on this damaging breed so the victim is stuck paying massive medical bills (if they survive), living with missing limbs/faces and going through countless operations while the owner gets off scot free.
No, the question is not how responsibility can be taught because pit bull owners have failed at being responsible all these years and are simply not interested in becoming responsible.
And “irresponsible behavior” clearly includes choosing to own a dog with this breed’s known capacity and proclivity to attack and do devastating damage. Owning this dog as a “pet” is “irresponsible behavior.” Ban the breed and prosecute violators. I am encouraged by the reports of criminal charges against dog owners whose “pets” hunt and kill others. If pit bull owners are prevented from worming their way out of being responsible for their irresponsible behavior (owning a pit as a pet) then it will drastically decrease the body count.