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Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman is calling for police departments to switch to non-lethal bullets, all while facing a personal controversy regarding accusations of bigotry. Chapman recently appeared on Fox News to promote his new “Get The Lead Out” campaign, which aims to encourage police to stop the use of deadly force when encountering a suspect or potentially dangerous situation. “I’ve arrested over 8,000 fugitives in a 43-year career and have never shot anyone and killed them,” Chapman said during the interview.
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He continued, “We’ve used all non-lethal weapons. We’re going to get the lead out of the bullet and replace it with rubber and or wood. I’ve shown a thousand arrests on different networks in America in the last 15 years and I’ve been attacked [by] … machetes, shopping carts, guns, knives. I’ve shot a lot, but I’ve never killed [anyone] because on my team you will not use a lethal weapon. It’s not the gun that kills or the officer. It’s the lead in the bullet.”
From my extensive career assisting law enforcement I’ve been developing an initiative called “Get the Lead Out” which seeks to introduce non-lethal bullets. I’m ready to talk about new ways we can continue to safeguard our communities. I back the blue and always will
— Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) April 15, 2021
“[Police officers] shoot someone right now, you got a problem,” Chapman continued. “So let’s take the lead out of the bullet and let’s protect them. And you’ve seen me do it thousands of times. I’ve been attacked by armed fugitives, felons running at me, and shot many with non-lethal weapons. It works. All you need to do is get them down so you can cuff him.”
The reality TV star added, “You need to stop killing them. And I don’t think they’re killing them on purpose. As you know, brother, there’s no such thing in America. When you go to a police academy as trained, you know, train them to wound. All police are trained to kill. So let’s take the lead out of their bullet.”
The new campaign comes as Chapman is facing accusations of racism and homophobia from Unleashed Entertainment, the company that was producing his canceled series, Dog Unleashed. A statement from the company’s president, Mike Donovan, alleged that Chapman’s show was canceled over breach of contract, due to the bounty hunter displaying bigoted behaviour on-set. Chapman subsequently went on the defensive, claiming that, among other things, “Unleashed representatives are trying to” misinform his fans.
