As the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its third week, a gun store owner in Tucson says the FBI showed up with a list of names and photos and asked him to check his records for recent firearm purchases. Yes, apparently even gun shops are getting surprise visits now — but this one chose to cooperate for the right reasons.

Phillip Martin, co-owner of Armor Bearer Arms, told Fox News that an agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation visited his store carrying three pages with roughly 18 to 24 individuals, each with a name and photo. The agent asked Martin to see if any of those people had bought a firearm from his store within the past year.

“He actually had given me a list of paper, list of people that had pictures and names on it, and he wanted to know if I could help him pull up in my system if any of these people have purchased a gun in the last year,” Martin explained.

Martin said he questioned the request at first but decided to help because he felt sympathy for Guthrie’s family.

“I felt bad for the family. Anything that could help them find the person I was willing to help,” he said.

Using his store’s electronic records system, Martin entered each last name from the list. If any of those individuals had made a purchase, their identifying information would have appeared. According to Martin, none of the names matched firearm purchases from his store in the last year.

The agent reportedly told Martin that investigators planned to visit other gun stores as well to check for possible recent purchases linked to the people on the list.

Meanwhile, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos pushed back against claims that investigators have narrowed their suspect pool to a few dozen individuals. During an interview with Fox News, Nanos denied reports suggesting authorities were focused on around 40 people.

“That’s not true,” Nanos said when asked about those reports.
“We haven’t narrowed it down to anything other than we have pieces of evidence that we’re looking at to try to find this individual,” he added.

For now, the case remains open and investigators are still working through leads, with cooperation coming from local businesses and law enforcement alike. And while the situation is serious, the willingness of everyday Americans to step up and help shows that when communities work together, answers get closer — and hope stays alive.