VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — An elderly war veteran said he's having surveillance cameras installed after burglars broke in to his home and stole a dozen guns.
Ruis West, 83, said fixing and selling guns is something he's enjoyed doing for more than 20 years.
"I'll take an old rifle and put new parts on it and fix it all up, make it look real nice and then I resell it,” West said.
The Korean War veteran sells the guns at flea markets and gun shows, but he said Sunday afternoon he came home and found a big part of his inventory had been stolen.
"When I came in and walked in and looked in my room, it looked like a cyclone had hit it,” he said.
West said two handguns and 10 rifles were stolen from his closet.
"One was an 1893 Winchester,” West said.
West said the burglar or burglars also got away with a ring his mother had given him more than 50 years ago.
"Everything was in disarray and it just broke my heart because they stole my Masonic rings,” West said.
West spent 48 years working for the railroad system.
He said selling guns helps supplement his retirement income, but the burglary has left him with a big financial loss.
"I'd say it's cost me close to $10,000,” West said.
West said he gave serial numbers for the guns to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Cox Media Group
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