Excellent point. This is not like Brays Island, which a small community of mostly part time residents who are hunting/shooting enthusiasts. This is planned to be 900 home big development of new homes on the edge of a major city.

As someone I spoke to who has been involved in these type of legal battles told me, a lot of lawyers for residents opposing gun clubs will offer to settle for a steel shot requirement because they know it significantly reduces the amount of shooting - often to the point of putting a gun club out of business.

You may have noticed in one of EPIC organizer replies that they pointed to some high end clubs that have gone steel only as evidence that this somehow makes it a better thing to do.

The reality is exclusive private clubs, such as the high dollar ones in NY that have gone steel have done so in part because they exist in exclusive areas where neighbors tend to send lawyers to community meetings rather than go themselves. Their members also have deep pockets to go after in a lawsuit. They can also charge member fees that offset the losses from reduced shooting due to a steel requirement.

I also understand one of the reasons the course designers wanted to locate the course away from the water was the noise issue.