BILLINGS, MT — In a move that Republican leaders are calling "proactive civic engagement," the Montana GOP announced Tuesday the opening of Patriots in Action Training Academy, a mixed martial arts facility dedicated to teaching everyday Montanans how to physically confront what they describe as "unhinged protesters and lying journalists" who threaten public order.
The 15,000-square-foot facility in Billings' West End features a full-sized octagon, grappling mats, and what academy director Chuck Hardcastle calls a "First Amendment Management Zone" — essentially a mock hearing room where students can practice removing disruptive individuals.
"Listen, we saw what happened with Senator Sheehy last week," said Hardcastle, a former bouncer and self-described "constitutional enforcement specialist" who claims to have trained with Navy SEALs despite never serving in the military. "That Marine veteran protester got his arm stuck in a door because our senator had to improvise. With proper training, that situation could have been handled much more efficiently. We're talking two seconds, boom, protester's out, hearing continues, democracy preserved. Instead, three officers got injured and everyone's crying about some broken arm. That's what happens when you don't invest in proper technique."
The academy's creation follows a pattern of physical altercations involving Montana Republicans and members of the media. Most notably, Governor Greg Gianforte's 2017 assault on Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, which President Trump later praised at a 2018 rally in Missoula, making gestures to pantomime the body slam while addressing supporters.
"We've moved past the body slam era," explained Roger Steinberg, a GOP strategist and Patriots in Action board member. "That was amateur hour — Gianforte just grabbed the guy and threw him down. No technique, no style, no consideration for optics. What we're teaching here is professional-grade protest suppression. We call it 'Constitutional Combat.' You learn joint locks that look helpful on camera, takedowns that appear defensive, and my personal favorite, the 'Patriotic Pin' — where you immobilize someone while appearing to protect them from themselves."
The academy's curriculum includes courses such as "Microphone Defense 101," "Advanced Door Frame Techniques," and "De-escalation Through Dominance." Students can also earn certifications in what the facility calls "Rapid Response Journalism Prevention" and "Antifa Identification and Neutralization."
Local resident Patricia Kowalski, 67, signed up for classes immediately after watching footage of the Sheehy incident. "I saw that young man getting manhandled and I thought, 'Those officers need better training.' Then I realized, why should we always rely on police? As a grandmother of four and longtime poll watcher, I should know how to handle these radical protesters myself. Last week at the grocery store, some college kid tried to hand me a flyer about climate change. If I'd known a proper wrist lock, I could have stopped that communist propaganda right there."
The academy has already attracted controversy from what Hardcastle dismisses as "the usual suspects — liberals, peace activists, and other domestic terrorists." Critics point out that McGinnis, the protester in the Sheehy incident, suffered what appeared to be a broken arm and now faces three counts of assaulting a police officer despite being the one hospitalized.
"This is fucking insane," said Marcus Chen, a civil rights attorney in Missoula. "They're literally training vigilantes to assault people exercising their First Amendment rights. The Sheehy thing was bad enough — a sitting senator jumping in to help remove a veteran who was protesting our involvement in another Middle Eastern war. Now they want to industrialize political violence? What's next, brass knuckles with 'Make America Great Again' engraved on them?"
Chen's concerns were quickly dismissed by State GOP Communications Director Janet Prewitt, who attended the academy's ribbon-cutting ceremony wearing tactical gear with "Liberal Tears Collector" embroidered on the back. "Mr. Chen clearly hasn't read our mission statement. We explicitly condemn violence against peaceful protesters. We're simply providing concerned citizens with the tools to address violent agitators who disrupt democratic proceedings. If someone wants to stand outside with a sign, God bless them. But when they burst into hearings, yelling about Israel and making everyone unsafe, well, that's when patriots need to step up."
The academy's advanced courses venture into more specialized territory. "Media Engagement: Beyond the Body Slam" teaches students to identify "hostile journalists" and employ what instructor Dale Morrison calls "preemptive interview termination techniques." Morrison, who claims to have worked security for "numerous conservative thought leaders," demonstrated a move he calls the "Tucker Tuck and Roll" — a maneuver designed to simultaneously disable a recording device and its operator.
"The beauty is, it looks like you're trying to help them up while you're actually putting them down," Morrison explained to a class of eager retirees. "Remember folks, we're not the aggressors here. We're defending ourselves against weaponized questioning. These reporters come at you with their gotcha questions about healthcare and voting rights — that's verbal assault in my book."
Perhaps most disturbing is the academy's youth program, "Little Patriots," which teaches children as young as 8 what the facility calls "playground democracy defense." Instructor Brenda Hutchinson, a former elementary school teacher who was fired for what she describes as "teaching traditional American values," leads students through drills designed to "identify and neutralize mini-marxists."
"Just yesterday, little Timmy here used what we call the 'Freedom Flip' on a classmate who suggested sharing toys was a good idea," Hutchinson beamed, patting a grinning 10-year-old on the head. "His teacher called it 'assault,' but we call it 'protecting private property rights.' The principal didn't see it that way, but that's why Timmy's mom is suing the school district for violating his constitutional right to self-defense against socialism."
The academy's funding sources remain somewhat murky, though financial disclosures show significant contributions from several dark money groups with names like "Montanans for Ordered Liberty" and "The First Amendment Protection Fund" — the latter ironically dedicated to limiting what it calls "abusive speech targeting elected officials."
"We've already had interest from GOP organizations in Wyoming, Idaho, and the Dakotas," bragged Hardcastle during a tour of the facility's "Tactical Patriotism Training Room," complete with American flag heavy bags and a sound system that plays the national anthem between rounds. "By 2028, we envision Patriots in Action academies in every red state. Hell, we might even franchise into the purple states — lord knows they need us more than anyone."
The tour concluded with a demonstration by the academy's "Elite Response Team," comprised entirely of men over 50 who've been banned from at least one social media platform for "truth telling." They performed what Hardcastle called "The Minuteman Maneuver" — a coordinated takedown of a mannequin dressed as a journalist, complete with press badge and cardboard microphone. The mannequin's arm came off during the demonstration, which Hardcastle insisted was intentional: "See how easily these fake news people fall apart under pressure?"
As the academy prepares for its grand opening next month, they're offering early bird specials including a "Snowflake Melter" package that includes 10 classes, a "Don't Tread on Me" rashguard, and what they call a "Liberal Detector" — which appears to be a regular metal detector with "PATRIOT TECH" written on it in Sharpie.
"This is about readiness," concluded Hardcastle, standing in the octagon as elderly students practiced their "Constitutional Chokeholds" in the background. "When the next America-hating protester disrupts a public meeting, or some fake news reporter shoves a microphone where it doesn't belong, Montana's patriots will be ready. Not with anger or hatred, but with skillful, efficient, lawsuit-avoiding techniques that make our Founding Fathers proud."
The academy's first graduation ceremony is scheduled for July 4th, where students will demonstrate their skills on volunteers from the local college Democrats chapter. When asked if using actual protesters for practice was ethical or legal, Prewitt laughed: "They're always saying they want more civic engagement from Republicans. Well, here's their chance to engage with some civics, Montana style. Besides, we'll have medical staff on standby. We're not animals — we're patriots with proper grappling technique."
A spokesperson for Governor Gianforte's office declined to comment on whether the governor supports the initiative, stating only that "Governor Gianforte encourages all Montanans to pursue physical fitness and civic engagement within the bounds of the law." When pressed on whether teaching citizens to physically confront protesters falls within those bounds, the spokesperson ended the call, though this reporter distinctly heard someone in the background say, "Jesus Christ, not this shit again" before the line went dead.