(WSBT) He changed his plea for illegally selling a gun that killed a South Bend police officer. Now 71-year-old Ronald Wedge wants to explain why he believes he deserves a chance to pay his debt to society, and be given a fresh start.

Wedge admitted Tuesday in federal court that he falsified information on a federal firearms background check about the sale of a handgun to Scott Barnaby on April 21.

Two days later, Barnaby used that gun to shoot and kill South Bend Police Corporal Nick Polizzotto and wound Patrolman Michael Norby at the Wooden Indian Motel in South Bend. Barnaby was also killed in the shoot-out.

In exchange for his plea, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Schmid agreed to drop one of the three counts filed against Wedge, and recommend a lighter sentence.

Wedge says his life has taken "a hard road."

"It's hard to find a job right now," he said in an exclusive interview with WSBT. "I liquidated everything I own from the shop [Hole the Wall Gunworks in Bristol.] We're right now on food stamps. I can't leave my daughter alone and she's 17 years old."

Wedge says he was fired from his part time position as a game usher at Notre Dame and says he's been shunned by friends he once proudly served by in the Army's 101st Airborne Ranger Division.

It's all, he says, because of what he calls a simple memory slip — a "mistake."

But he admits it was a big one that cost Scott Barnaby and Corporal Nick Polizzotto their lives.

"I made a big mistake, yes I did," Wedge admitted. "I sold a gun to a guy that didn't have proper ID. I'm bound to make mistakes. I've never done that with a gun before, and I don't know what possessed me to do that. I just forgot."

And Wedge says he tried to "fix" that mistake by backtracking through the gun show to find Barnaby, then calling every "Barnaby" listed in the phone book the following Monday.

But then — in his own words — he "made things worse," by changing the date on the federal firearms background check to the day after Corporal Polizzotto was killed.

When asked if he believes he should serve time behind bars for what he pleaded guilty to, Wedge replied, "No, I don't. Because of my record. I've done the best I could for the ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] and put money in their pocket."

But when reminded of his earlier statement stating 'I made a mistake,' Wedge replied, "Yes. But it was the only mistake I ever made in my life."

And federal court documents prove his firearms license is clean. More than 3,000 guns have been sold from his Bristol shop and at gun shows since 1974, Wedge says, without a single blemish.

But Elkhart County police records show he was arrested by Bristol police in 1991 for battery, though neither department has any record of a conviction.

Still, records aside, Wedge says he is standing up for what he did. Now, he's making a plea to the Polizzotto family.

"I hope the police officer's family finds a small spot in their heart for me," he said, choking back tears. "I'm very sorry."

Wedge says he made that same plea to Scott Barnaby's father in person the week after his son was killed. He says Barnaby was very upset, but calmed down and the two "went on."

As for the Polizzottos, Wedge says they've never spoken.

But after watching our exclusive interview with Wedge Wednesday night, Nick's brother Tony says he's "more unclear than ever about whether [Wedge] is truly sorry or just sorry he got caught."

Wedge now faces up to 10 years behind bars and a $500,000 fine when he's sentenced December 5.

You can see WSBT's entire interview with Wedge by clicking the link in the Related Content box.