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A Maryville gun collector came home Wednesday to find someone had burglarized his residence and stolen about 100 guns which were valued at $34,750.

William Ellis Spurgeon, 4760 Sevierville Road, had been away from home since Sunday. When he returned at 11:08 a.m. Wednesday he noticed a sliding glass door located on the side of the house standing open, according to the police report.

After closer inspection, he noticed pry marks around the lock area of the door.

He immediately went to check on his gun collection, which was located in a closet in the basement of the house, which is located beside Spurgeon Greenhouses. He found about 100 guns missing, along with several boxes of ammunition.

According to the Blount County Sheriff's Office report, he believes the thieves used the basement door to remove the firearms.

Spurgeon said the basement door always stays locked, however, when he checked it the dead bolt was unlocked from the inside. The basement door opens to the driveway.

The house has a security system, however, it was turned off, according to the police report.

The investigating officer contacted neighbors, who indicated they did not see anything out of the ordinary at the residence while Spurgeon was gone.

Guns stolen included Colt .45-caliber WWII commemoratives, Colt Detective Series, Cobra Action Scout .22-caliber,

Colt Gold Spike, four .22-caliber derringers, Smith and Wesson .44-caliber Magnums with 6- and 8-inch barrels, six Smith and Wesson .351-caliber Magnums, two nickel-plated .44-caliber Magnum pistols with 6-inch barrels, Smith and Wesson .357-caliber Magnum Texas Ranger, bone handled pistols, Rouger .44-caliber Magnum Red Hawk Super, two .44-caliber nickel-plated black powder guns, a Winchester 30-30 John Wayne Rifle and a 30-30 President Roosevelt Rifle.