Residents Speak Out On Firing Range

FREDERICK Md. (AP) -- Maryland residents are speaking out against a proposed gun range at Sugarloaf Mountain about 10 miles south of Frederick.

The Frederick News-Post  reports that residents packed a 200-person hearing room Thursday night.

The gun range is proposed for an area that is zoned for resource conservation. The range could be permitted if it's given a special exemption.

Peter Fitzpatrick, an attorney defending the proposal by Old Line Arsenal LLC, acknowledged the community opposition. But he says the applicant is entitled to use their property in a way that is legal.

Plans call for two outdoor shooting ranges, an indoor shooting range and a three-story wooden shooting tower. Opponents say the range would spoil the peacefulness of the Sugarloaf

Mountain area and could undermine the viability of local businesses.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)