Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie Case Allegedly Brought Undeclared Gun to TSA Checkpoint
What To Know
- Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is under scrutiny after allegedly bringing a loaded, undeclared firearm to a TSA checkpoint at Tucson International Airport in November 2024.
- The incident has sparked public criticism, with some residents claiming that ordinary citizens would have faced harsher consequences for similar actions.
- Nanos, a key figure in the ongoing Nancy Guthrie abduction investigation, has defended his department against accusations of mishandling the case and maintains confidence in his team’s efforts.
Chris Nanos, the sheriff of Pima County, Arizona, and one of the key figures in the Nancy Guthrie investigation, is under more scrutiny amid a recent report that he allegedly brought an undeclared gun to a TSA checkpoint a year and a half ago.
Citing an incident report, Fox News Digital reports that on November 6, 2024, a TSA X-ray technician found a loaded, undeclared firearm in Nanos’ bag at the Tucson International Airport’s B Concourse and flagged an officer. Airport police then discovered five rounds in the magazine of the gun and another in the chamber.
Amid that incident, Nanos missed his original flight but stowed the firearm in his vehicle and caught a later flight, Fox News Digital stated.
At a public meeting six days later, Tucson resident and Conservative Coalition of America president Cory Stephens complained that regular citizens would have fared differently had they brought a gun to a TSA checkpoint.
“If a private citizen had encountered that at the airport, the consequences would have been greater,” Stephens told Fox News Digital on Friday. “We as citizens want answers. The safety of our community is at stake.”
As sheriff of Pima County, Nanos has been one of the more visible investigators in the February 1 disappearance and presumed abduction of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, from her home in the Tucson area.
“We believe we know why [Nancy’s abductor] did this, and we believe that it was targeted, but we, we can’t, we’re not 100% sure of that,” Nanos told NBC News last month. “And so it’d be silly to tell people, ‘Yeah, don’t worry about it. You’re not his target.’ Don’t think for a minute that because it happened to the Guthrie family, you’re safe. No, keep your wits about you.”
With the case now entering its third month and answers still scarce, Nanos defended his team in a KVOA interview this week, saying he has faith in his colleagues and denying that they made mistakes early in the investigations.
“You cannot attack my department. Attack the sheriff, but you will not get by with attacking my department,” Nanos said. “Discrediting an investigation like this doesn’t help anything, it’s very harmful. No, we don’t believe there were any mistakes made. … These people work hard every day to keep our community safe.”
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