Embattled Nancy Guthrie Sheriff ‘Stopped by TSA with Loaded Gun

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is facing fresh scrutiny after bombshell records reportedly showed he was stopped by TSA at Tucson International Airport with a loaded, undeclared gun in his carry-on bag.

The explosive revelation is adding even more pressure on the embattled sheriff, who has already been slammed over his handling of the still-unsolved disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie.

According to the report, Nanos was stopped at a TSA checkpoint on November 6, 2024, after an X-ray technician allegedly spotted a firearm inside his backpack at the airport’s B Concourse. When officers inspected the bag, they reportedly found a loaded Glock with one round in the chamber and five more in the magazine.

The incident did not lead to an arrest, but critics are now demanding to know why.

For many in Tucson, that is where the outrage begins.

Local resident Cory Stephens told Fox News Digital that she raised the issue publicly before the Pima County Board of Supervisors back on November 12, 2024, after hearing about it through community channels rather than through widespread media coverage.

Her frustration was simple and direct: if an ordinary traveler had tried to bring a loaded, undeclared weapon through airport security, the fallout likely would have been immediate and severe.

She said the public deserves answers and argued that the safety of the community is too important for an incident like this to quietly fade away.

The records cited in the report paint a striking picture. Nanos was allegedly pulled aside and taken to a private screening room, where airport police examined both the backpack and the firearm. One officer wrote that the weapon was loaded, but noted it was not “artfully or purposely concealed,” suggesting there was no elaborate effort to hide it.

Even so, the discovery of a loaded gun in a carry-on bag set off alarm bells.

The officer reportedly rendered the weapon safe, checked Nanos for wants and warrants, and read him his Miranda rights. The matter was then elevated up the chain, with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI also notified, according to the report.

But despite the seriousness of the situation, there appeared to be no dramatic public fallout. Nanos allegedly secured the firearm in his vehicle, missed his original flight, and later boarded another one.

That outcome is now fueling accusations of double standards.

Critics say the episode raises familiar questions about whether powerful officials are treated differently than everyone else. For Democratic-leaning voters already frustrated by unequal systems and uneven accountability, the story lands with particular force. The argument is not just about one airport mistake. It is about whether public officials are being held to the same rules they are sworn to enforce.

Stephens made that point bluntly, saying that as a law enforcement officer, Nanos should have known exactly how to properly secure and declare a firearm before entering an airport checkpoint.

The controversy has also drawn attention from former law enforcement voices. Retired FBI agent and Fox News contributor James Gagliano said active-duty law enforcement officers can legally fly with firearms under certain procedures, but only if they follow the required protocol ahead of time. That typically involves advance declaration and agency verification.

In other words, there is a process.

And that is exactly why the reported airport incident has left so many people baffled.

The timing could hardly be worse for Nanos. He is already facing mounting criticism over the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, a case that has become a national flashpoint. Since Guthrie vanished on February 1, Nanos has been accused by critics of mishandling key parts of the investigation, including releasing the crime scene too early, sending mixed messages to the media, and failing to inspire confidence as the search dragged on without major breakthroughs.

More than two months later, Guthrie remains missing, and there have been no publicly announced suspects or major leads.

The lack of progress has only deepened public anger.

Now, with this TSA incident back in the spotlight, Nanos is confronting a damaging new narrative: not just a sheriff accused of fumbling a high-profile case, but a public official whose own judgment is once again being questioned.

That is the kind of story that sticks.

And in a community already worn down by fear, uncertainty, and the agony of an unsolved disappearance, it is likely to intensify demands for transparency, accountability, and real answers from the man at the center of it all.