JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri cities no longer could ban pit bulls under a bill advancing in the Legislature.

The measure passed 117-17 by the House this past week would ban breed-specific local ordinances.

That means municipalities no longer could ban pit bulls or other dog breeds sometimes considered dangerous.

Hicks said ordinances targeting specific breeds amount to discrimination. He said pit bulls are no more dangerous than other breeds, and that the owners are to blame if a dog becomes vicious.

Hicks owns a boxer named Rosie that he said could be mistaken for a pit bull.

Independence banned pit bulls in 2006 following a series of attacks. Mayor Eileen Weir said it should be up to local governments and not the state to decide how to handle certain dog breeds.