CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. -- A Polk County, Florida man is pleading for a thief to return a sentimental wedding gift that was stolen out of a family member's truck in Port Charlotte.
Boomer Bass left for a fishing trip on Little Gasparilla Island last week, and thought it was best to leave his Springfield 1911 Range Officer Gun with a family member, rather than bring it with him.
On April 19th, Bass's mother reported that the gun was stolen out of his truck in the Water's Edge neighborhood in Englewood.
The gun holds sentimental value to Bass.
"I had a gun very similar to this one when I was younger," he said. "I sold it to help a friend of mine out, and I really regretted selling that gun."
With this in mind, his wife, Stefanie, made the decision to buy him that same gun on the morning of their wedding. They married in October of last year. "She went and bought that gun for me and gave it to me that night at our wedding reception, actually," Bass said. "I think the gun signified, really, that she understood the generosity I showed when I was younger, and she wanted to show me she would be the kind of wife that would do those things for me."
Stealing a gun is a felony in the state of Florida. However, Bass says if the thief wants to return his gun, he would accept it with no questions asked. "Hopefully, you feel like you made a mistake. I will not prosecute, I will not pursue any legal action. All I want is this gun back," he said.
Bass said he is willing to pay the retail price for a brand new gun if his is returned safely. It is a Springfield 1911 Range Officer with wood grips, night sights, blued finish, serial # NM502637. "I'm begging you...to anyone else, this is just a gun," he said. "But to me, it means more than I can even put into words."
If you have any information that could help lead Bass to his sentimental wedding gift, or you are in possession of it, he asks that you contact him directly on Facebook at Boomer Bass.