[devil's advocate] Pits are usually more aggressive. That IS in their breeding. Humans have the ability to rationalize and not act on instinct. But you take a person or animal with a naturally aggressive personality, and put them in the right environ to foster that, and you'll have a monster on your hands.
But on the other hand, one of my former neighbors had a sheepdog... you know, the shaggy dog, and it is the ONLY dog that has ever bitten me that wasn't playing with me.
However, this does NOT mean that pits are any better or worse than any other breed. Just unfortunately they've gotten a bad rep due to all the reports of assaults. One of the sweetest dogs I've ever met was a pit.
It's also VERY likely that a pit bite IS worse than another breed due to their genetics- their jaws are abnormally strong for their size, and they are bred to ignore pain.
[/devil's advocate]
There are a lot of dogs you cannot own w/out an additional rider in MA - APBT, Dalmation, German Shepherd, Doberman, Rottweiller, and a few others that were deemed "dangerous" by the state.
