Why is it that in Carroll County, where gun ownership is extremely popular, it has been next to impossible to find an appropriate site for a shooting range?
Meanwhile, hobbyists who fly model airplanes are only slightly better off. The county has struggled mightily to find an appropriate location so they could enjoy their recreational pursuit.
Moto-bike and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts also have had problems finding places to race through mud holes, jump bumps and do airborne wheelies.
There is nothing wrong with these hobbies, besides the fact that they generate loud and irritating noises that disturb other people.
But because county officials have yet to develop a systematic process to identify potential sites for facilities such as shooting ranges, aeromodeler fields or motocross tracks, a number of Carroll residents haven't been able to enjoy their hobbies.
As Carroll's population grows, the number of people who want to shoot targets or fly model planes will increase. The time has come to locate suitable sites and establish a rational set of guidelines that will allow people to engage in these pursuits.
Every effort to build a shooting range in recent years has been defeated. Opponents have claimed the proposed sites are too close to schools, businesses or residences. Outdoor ranges generate too much noise. Indoor ranges would attract undesirables and traffic.
As a result, serious gun owners who want to maintain or sharpen their skills have to seek out facilities outside the county. Or, they go out into fields and shoot, endangering anyone or any creature that happens to be wandering by.
Westminster's planning commission has made an effort to rationalize the process for siting indoor shooting ranges within the city. Under a proposed ordinance the commission is sending to the council, indoor archery and shooting ranges would be allowed as special exceptions in industrial zones.
As drafted, the legislation would allow shooting ranges only in the city's Air Business Center.
Whether locating a shooting range in the county's supposed best industrial park makes sense is another question, but Westminster's officials should be given credit for trying. That cannot be said for county efforts to find a site for the aeromodelers.
Ronald R. Frederick of Union Mills has been arguing for more than a year that Carroll's Department of Recreation and Parks, the parks board and the county commissioners used a flawed process to select the current site for the aeromodelers.
As a resident who lives near the county-owned property known as Spiegel Farm, he readily admits he has a interest in getting the model airplane enthusiasts moved.
He is no crank. He is vice president and chief financial officer for Saab Aircraft of America. He has lived in Carroll for almost 16 years and has a sincere interest in finding an appropriate place for the county's aeromodelers.
So far he has not had any success in convincing the commissioners or others in county government to move the aeromodelers from Spiegel Farm. But Mr. Frederick has developed a thorough and systematic method for evaluating sites that can be applied not just for model airplane enthusiasts but for any hobby or sport that generates bothersome noises.
Citing a survey published in a magazine issued by the Academy of Model Aeronautics, Mr. Frederick pointed out to the commissioners that three-quarters of the flying clubs are located next to industrial areas or airports. The remainder are next to landfills.
He also pointed out that quiet areas such as the Spiegel property are probably the most inappropriate locations for noisy activities.
To make his point, Mr. Frederick quoted from a memorandum written by the general counsel of the Academy of Model Aeronautics.
"The nature of the locality in which the noise is made is the single most important factor in the decision whether or not a particular noise is reasonable. A property owner is entitled to a degree of quietness, consistent with the standard of comfort prevailing in the locality in which he lives," wrote Jeremiah Courtney.
In other words, if a neighborhood is quiet, it is not appropriate to relocate noisy activities in it. However, if an area is already noisy, it is appropriate to locate activities that generate the same level of noise that already exists.
Mr. Frederick also pointed out that most human beings find annoying sounds above 65 decibels, particularly those that are high-pitched. His research also revealed that under state noise pollution law, the maximum allowable noise level in residential areas is 55 decibels -- or about 40 decibels less than the model airplanes being flown on the Spiegel property.
Mr. Frederick's research seems to have fallen on deaf ears, but he hopes the new board of county commissioners may re-examine the issue of the Spiegel property.
Instead of looking just at the model airplanes, the commissioners should think about creating an all-encompassing policy on noisy diversions. It would help them identify parts of the county to locate these activities.
Once that is done, Carroll, at long last, might finally get a shooting range and a better location for fans of model airplanes.
Brian Sullam is The Baltimore Sun's editorial writer in Carroll County.