‘Win people over’: Gun club founder launches write-in bid for sheriff

‘Win people over’: Gun club founder launches write-in bid for sheriff

Founder and president of the Gallatin Community Gun Club Garrett Grimm has spent the past year and a half making space for people who don’t fit the typical gun culture mold. Now he’s registered as a write-in candidate for sheriff, hoping to bring an alternative to the norm in local law enforcement.

“I don’t want the police force to be something that is used by the state to preserve its power,” Grimm said. “I want it to be something that actually helps the people and protects their rights and safety. If that means enforcing the laws and constitution against the state to protect everyone’s rights, then that’s what it needs to be doing.”

Grimm grew up shooting alongside his father learning gun safety and marksmanship, but he drifted away from firearms for years as an adult. When he decided to get back into shooting a couple years ago, he found that the culture around most local gun clubs didn’t fit him. As a left-leaning Bozeman resident with ties to the Democratic Socialists of America, he wanted a space that didn’t assume a particular politics or background to belong.

“I posted something on Reddit just asking if there was a need for a left-wing gun club,” Grimm said. “There was a very large outpouring of support.”

Since co-founding the club with Tara Fincher in February 2025, it’s grown to just over 200 members, with programming that stretches well past the range. Alongside first-time gun buyer classes and range days, the Gallatin Community Gun Club runs first aid training, monthly food drives, Narcan and emergency response classes, and a firearms safety class geared toward people navigating a mental health crisis. Last October, the club partnered with Queer Bozeman and Big Sky OUT on “More Gays n’ More Guns,” pairing an introduction to firearms with Stop the Bleed training to create a welcoming space for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Despite the club’s unique profile, Grimm said the underlying philosophy isn’t so different from that of any other gun club. Nobody wants to actually use a firearm in self-defense, but proponents argue that trained, prepared gun owners are safer than those who are untrained or unarmed.

“We’re by no means a left-leaning militia or something like that,” Grimm said. “But, at the same time, the Second Amendment isn’t just for the right.”

While membership has grown steadily, Grimm said a few national events have spurred sudden upticks. The most recent came earlier this year, when two anti-ICE activists, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot to death by agents during a surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Minnesota.

It’s an instinct Grimm understands personally. Last month, Gallatin County saw its own surge of ICE activity, with advocates estimating up to 100 arrests during raids later, described in prior Chronicle coverage as a “dragnet operation” in a recent lawsuit. Watching that play out in his own community is when Grimm first considered running for sheriff.

“Dan Springer and the sheriffs before him have basically been unopposed,” Grimm said. “I read his response to the situation with ICE, and it just doesn’t seem like he feels he needs to be accountable to the people of Gallatin County. We really don’t know where his stance is on a lot of important issues.”

Springer was first named interim sheriff in 2021, after Brian Gootkin retired to lead the Montana Department of Corrections. He was appointed to the permanent position that February, unanimously and as the only applicant, filling out the remainder of Gootkin’s term through the end of 2022.

Running unopposed as a Republican in 2022, Springer garnered nearly 40,000 votes, and he again ran unchallenged in this June’s primary. Grimm’s write-in campaign marks the first time since Springer took office that he’s faced a challenger for the seat.

“I am honored to have served this community for 30 years, and I can’t wait for another 4 years,” Springer told the Chronicle. “I know what it takes to run an agency that performs at the highest level.”

Springer said his office’s stated goal is to protect quality of life in Gallatin County through diligent, well-trained law enforcement committed to doing right by the community. But he’s also faced recent pushback, including criticism after his office accused “local agitator groups” of harassing and obstructing law enforcement during last month’s ICE operations in the county.

Springer previously said his office was notified of last month’s ICE operations in advance but declined to share further details, saying only that sharing information could put the community or officers at risk. For Grimm, that kind of limited disclosure is exactly why he believes residents must be free to observe and record ICE actions in public spaces. While he stresses that observers shouldn’t engage in reckless driving or physically interfere with officers, he views bystander video as a crucial check on government power, especially when the accuracy of ICE’s detainee locator tool has been disputed.

“Someone filming who was taken, that is probably the only way we’ll actually ever know who was taken,” Grimm said. “That is not an agitator. That is someone doing a civic duty right there. That is someone doing something for the public safety that the Sheriff’s Office should be doing.”

But Grimm acknowledged there’s only so much a sheriff could actually do to stop future ICE activity in the county. He pointed to House Bill 200, a Montana law that bars local governments from restricting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, backed by a $10,000 penalty for every five days a jurisdiction is found in violation.

“My campaign isn’t really about being anti-ICE,” Grimm said. “It is more about equal enforcement of law.”

Grimm stressed that his vision for the sheriff’s office isn’t about ignoring the law for anyone. He noted that while being undocumented or overstaying a visa is a civil offense under federal jurisdiction, any non-citizen who commits an actual criminal offense in Gallatin County should be handled through the criminal justice system. But he maintains that federal personnel aren’t above that system, either. If an ICE agent uses unjustifiable force that amounts to assault, Grimm said he would treat it as a crime and if agents commit minor infractions, like swapping license plates on unmarked vehicles, they would receive a citation.

Regarding those issues, Springer told the Chronicle he’s on the same page as Grimm, emphasizing that people have the right to film as long as they are not impeding an investigation and that the law applies to all.

“If any law enforcement officer violates state or local statutes, they are subject to a fair and just investigation just like every citizen,” Springer said. “I have a proven track record of holding people accountable to the highest standards.”

Ultimately, Grimm said he wants to keep the campaign focused on the issues rather than trade personal jabs with Springer. But he knows challenging an incumbent invites pushback, and some voters may see his stance on ICE or a left-leaning gun club as too radical for a county sheriff. That’s a call he said he’s willing to leave to voters.

“If I am elected as sheriff of this county, then this to be how they are wanting to be policed,” Grimm said. “While I will not try to shove my values or change the police department from the ground up, I will obey the will of the voters.”

At the same time, much of his voter base are likely to be the same local progressives who were drawn to the Gallatin Community Gun Club. For some left-leaning individuals, the purpose of law enforcement itself is the problem, not just who’s running it. Grimm said he’s used to that kind of skepticism. Some of the same people who initially bristled at the idea of a left-wing gun club have come around after seeing what Gallatin Community Gun Club actually does, and he thinks a similar shift is possible when it comes to policing.