CANFIELD — Mixed reviews were given to Canfield council Wednesday during a public hearing on a proposed shooting range.

Debbi Parisi, owner of Iron Sights Armory, LLC, located at 268 Railroad St. in Canfield, asked for the hearing about the range, which would go next to the armory.

“I wanted to kind of get a gauge for how it would be received,” she said, adding: “This is my preliminary work.”

Some residents were worried about the idea. Council did not take a formal position after the public hearing and council meeting.

Parisi said a lot of the concern about adding a shooting range within the city limits is due to the proximity to Canfield Village Middle School and Canfield High School.

Addressing council, Parisi said that during her research, she’s found there are no guidelines stating how far a shooting range must be from a school.

“We’re located in an industrial area, and it’s going to be an indoor range,” Parisi said. “There would be no margin for any of the bullets to leave the facility.”

Multiple levels of gun education would be offered at the proposed range, Parisi said, for various ages and expertise.

Council President John Morvay said that he personally has not formed an opinion on the matter, but he’s done research on the subject.

“Indoor ranges can and do present health hazards” such as gun powder residue and decibel levels, he’s read, adding that he called a nearby shooting facility to begin his research.

Morvay was assured that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would be on-site on a regular basis.

Morvay added that he wonders if the venture would be profitable for Parisi. “There’s air scrubbers, special walls, lead abatement” involved in the business, he said.

Iron Sights opened in 2013. Parisi said that as business has increased, so has the interest in the sport of shooting.

“The more people that we’ve had that ask if we have a range … kind of give us a boost that we should look in that direction,” Parisi said.

dafox@tribtoday.com