I am the volunteer who wrote the previous blog posts on this website about the 50-caliber bullet that was unintentionally shot into the home of one of our firefighters. Many people accuse me and the department of fabricating the story. When I defended us as best I could, some people wrote that I should have done a better job from the start to PROVE the incident occurred. Okay. Hindsight is 20/20. I wish I’d had foresight about the brouhaha that erupted to prevent it. If I’d known I was writing a post that would be picked up by mainstream media and seen outside our community, I wouldn’t have written something casually. I’m not a journalist. So, PROVING the truth of the incident was not on my radar. I didn’t doubt the firefighter’s account of what happened, because I personally know him to be a good man. I asked him to give me a photo about the incident; I had no idea that the photo would need defending. To those of you who think I’m a fool for not knowing, okay. When accusations first started that I’d created “fake news in support of gun control,” I called the sheriff’s department to confirm with the investigating deputy that the incident occurred and was an accident. Then I asked people more knowledgeable than me to provide rational explanations for the most common accusations about the bullet in the original photo. Then I asked for and posted a second photo of the bullet, to defend those explanations. However, outside of this community, the new information is either criticized or ignored. We’ve even been criticized for being defensive about the barrage of mocking, ugly comments and accusations on what is now too many web sites and Facebook pages to find and address. I am sad that so many people assume the worst. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and the truth is now lost in a cloud of suspicion and paranoia. I am sorry for the damage I unintentionally caused to this department’s reputation. To those of you who offered your support, your kind words were greatly appreciated. I am sure most of the other volunteers on the department would agree with me, we volunteer to serve this community, because they’re so many good people here who support each other and deserve that support.