A firearms instructor
utilizes one of the range’s lanes.
Credit: Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office
A shooting range across the Delaware River from Upper Makefield is bothering some residents.
Upper Makefield officials are looking into the noise caused by the state-of-the-art Mercer County Firearms Training Facility in Hopewell Township, New Jersey. The sounds of gunfire from the facility can, at times, travel across the river and ring loudly in Upper Makefield.
The Mercer County law enforcement training facility sits next to the Mercer County Correctional Center and sits about 1,100 feet from Upper Makefield. Aside from a small portion of woods, the sound of gunfire can easily travel over the river and into Bucks County.
During Tuesday evening’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Township Manager Jim Pascale said he had reached out to Mercer County officials to see what could be done to resolve the issue, possibly even obtaining a schedule of when the fire range will be used.
Resident Barbara Rintala said she had recorded the sound of the shooting. She said she expects the gunfire from the range to pickup as spring and summer approaches.
Rintala told the Bucks County Courier Times the gunfire happens during the day and night.
Upper Makefield officials are investigating the possibility of paying for an audiologist to perform decibel testing to evaluate how loud the gunfire can be from the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River.
Rintala said some residents might be willing to contribute money to help Upper Makefield pay for any potential decibel testing.
Pascale said he wants the issue resolved so the noise from the law enforcement training facility is “tolerable” for Upper Makefield residents.
Chairman Daniel Rattigan said during Tuesday’s meeting that he wants to hear from Mercer County officials to see if they’re willing to work toward a solution.
According to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, which operates the training facility, the site was recently expanded and updated. The center is used by police departments and police academy students along with state and federal agencies.
The recent upgrades to the center include equipment for low-light training, a classroom, the addition of 12 shooting lanes to the 12 that were already is use, a live-fire shoot house and an observation tower.
According to information from the Board of Supervisors meeting, the noise issue has previously been brought before Upper Makefield officials.
