Not BS, but it is of course complicated, and way beyond my comprehension. It appears that owner moderators may be sued (or at least threatened) if they fail to edit/delete a comment they know to be false, ESP. if the moderator has some financial connection to the person making the false comment.

The author is licensed in the state of California, but this appears to be generally applicable
http://www.socalinternetlawyer.com/defamation-internet-forums/

More
http://communications-media.lawyers.com/...l-problems.html

https://xenforo.com/community/threads/member-wants-to-sue-forum-owner-possible.32638/

And it appears volunteer moderators have some exposure
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/201...-v-bleeping.htm

Unpleasant reading
http://www.fishkeepingbanter.com/showthread.php?t=8307

Then again, it's Dave's site, and he can do what he wants. Any one of us are free to start our own site, and pay for the necessary legal advice.
http://www.verticalscope.com/ manages about 100 automotive and outdoor related sites including trapshooters.com

https://sites.google.com/a/damascusknowledge.com/www/home