How it works at the low level is they assume they know what a “liberal” looks and acts like, and they try to kill them. Civilian, combatant, doesn’t matter. We’ve already seen this, multiple times, all over the US. You assume an organized army, don’t.

While some of the big players might like to act like a regular military force, a LOT of this will just be sporadic, random violence as John GOP finally realizes he can use the War Against Liberalism as a cover to get rid of his neighbor, or his boss, or Karen in HR or whatever.