Back when I was first getting into the shooting sports I did what many modern day people do when in need of information, I ran to my computer and started googling. Much to my surprise, there was a great deal of information regarding club facilities on the individual clubs’ websites, but there were very few websites with comprehensive lists of all the ranges in a given area, and those that did were either outdated or inaccurate. Eventually I did find a range in my area, but it was only after hours of searching that I found one which offered everything I wanted.
For a multitude of reasons, especially considering the current fear that Obama will likely try to impose further restrictions on our second amendment rights, and the drastic increase in the number of Firearm licenses being issued here in the commonwealth due to this concern, it is clear that there is a large number of people entering the realm of firearm ownership. With all these new potential shooters, it makes sense that many of them are going to be looking for a safe and lawful place to shoot, and it is even more likely that many of these people will spend just as much time as I spent looking for a range, if not more. As a Computer Science major, a geek, and a fellow shooter, I felt a certain patriotic obligation to help these new shooters. On March 31st, I officially registered the domain name NortheastRanges.com, and by April 10th, a fully functioning version of the website was up and running.
NortheastRanges.com is what I hope will one day become a comprehensive and detailed list of every shooting range in the northeastern United States. The site is formatted to allow registered users to add and update the data for all the ranges, which helps keep inaccurate and outdated entries at bay while allowing the range listings to be populated much faster than if I were to do it alone. The site also features a newly added map, which automatically takes every range from the lists and adds it to one large interactive map, so the user can more easily see the ranges in their area. The entire site is completely automated, so as information is entered and updated, it is immediately updated both on the listings page and on the map. While still in its infancy, I have a great deal of hope that this site will become the first stop for new shooters and with your help I don’t see how it couldn’t happen. I encourage all clubs and their members to please look at the site, if the information on your range is incomplete, inaccurate or if your range is not there, take the time to add it to the site, it will not only help new shooters, but also ultimately help increase the number of members at shooting clubs state-wide, and undoubtedly increase the number of people to help fight for our rights.
In the long run I see a lot of potential in this project. As it becomes a successful tool for clubs and shooters in the northeast, the momentum of its growth has the potential to expand to a national level - where data for all clubs in the U.S. can be listed and up to date. In the end, it is all about shooters helping shooters find where to safely, legally, and happily shoot.
Http://NortheastRanges.com
For a multitude of reasons, especially considering the current fear that Obama will likely try to impose further restrictions on our second amendment rights, and the drastic increase in the number of Firearm licenses being issued here in the commonwealth due to this concern, it is clear that there is a large number of people entering the realm of firearm ownership. With all these new potential shooters, it makes sense that many of them are going to be looking for a safe and lawful place to shoot, and it is even more likely that many of these people will spend just as much time as I spent looking for a range, if not more. As a Computer Science major, a geek, and a fellow shooter, I felt a certain patriotic obligation to help these new shooters. On March 31st, I officially registered the domain name NortheastRanges.com, and by April 10th, a fully functioning version of the website was up and running.
NortheastRanges.com is what I hope will one day become a comprehensive and detailed list of every shooting range in the northeastern United States. The site is formatted to allow registered users to add and update the data for all the ranges, which helps keep inaccurate and outdated entries at bay while allowing the range listings to be populated much faster than if I were to do it alone. The site also features a newly added map, which automatically takes every range from the lists and adds it to one large interactive map, so the user can more easily see the ranges in their area. The entire site is completely automated, so as information is entered and updated, it is immediately updated both on the listings page and on the map. While still in its infancy, I have a great deal of hope that this site will become the first stop for new shooters and with your help I don’t see how it couldn’t happen. I encourage all clubs and their members to please look at the site, if the information on your range is incomplete, inaccurate or if your range is not there, take the time to add it to the site, it will not only help new shooters, but also ultimately help increase the number of members at shooting clubs state-wide, and undoubtedly increase the number of people to help fight for our rights.
In the long run I see a lot of potential in this project. As it becomes a successful tool for clubs and shooters in the northeast, the momentum of its growth has the potential to expand to a national level - where data for all clubs in the U.S. can be listed and up to date. In the end, it is all about shooters helping shooters find where to safely, legally, and happily shoot.
Http://NortheastRanges.com
