NewtonPA.com

A 600-acre tract of land is proposed for a shooting range in Ransom Township.

The Times Tribune quoted:

Ransom Recreational Shooting Sports spokesman Andy Massimilian said many of the concerns from residents and officials are unfounded, in part because of the range's location.

"Our closest neighbors are a graveyard and a landfill," he said.  "The property is in a valley, with the nearest residents on the other side of the mountain or on top of the mountain."

Supporter say the range will help support law enforcement officers training and hunters safety but opponents are concerned that it will subject them to noise from all of the shooting.

So what is your thoughts on this shooting range proposal?

The property is not "in a valley" it's on the side of a mountain which faces over the valley floor.
Any and all noise, especially from gun fire, will echo off the mountain and over the valley as well as up and over the mountain. Yes, it will travel over the mountain. Trust me I have lived here for over 25 years and know the acoustics of the mountains well.
Shots fired on the other side of the mountain are heard here. Noises from the Halloween events down in Ransom are heard here, over the mountain.
When workers are on the radio towers their conversations can be heard from thousands of yards away as if they were only feet away.
There is no way they are going to be able to deaden the noise unless they use suppressors CKA silencers, which is not feasable.
I have been paying attention to this Massimillan guy ever since the range was proposed and he is not being totally honest in his statements. He owns the land and is leading people to believe it is owned by someone else. He never actually says who owns it, as it is in the name of West Mountain Preserve LLC (which is registered as a corp in NY, not Pa.! and has as it's mailing address the same as Massimillan) and is very careful in his words.
There is no way he paid over $800,000 for land that is worth far less (it's bordered by a landfill just across the street!), not including improvements, to train police and let the Boy Scouts target practice there.
He has other shooting facilities in NY,and elsewhere that are used to have parties and other events where all types of shooting, including full autos and high powered sniper rifles are used for hours at a time.
Check out his other sites at the following address. This is probably what he has planned for the Ransom property.

http://www.eliteshooters.com/

Anyone who knows me knows I am a strong supporter of gun owners rights. In fact I was speaking with two of the NRA"s top officials just last week. However, this is not the place for such a facility. It is far too close to people's homes and the cemetery.