Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said a letter pretending to come from the department stating that all “assault weapons” needed to be surrendered is a “bad and potentially dangerous prank.”

In a message posted the department’s Facebook page Wednesday, Sheriff James Quattrone said the letter, under the name of a sheriff’s deputy, was received by a town clerk in the town of Busti. The letter erroneously stated that Quattrone had declared Martial Law, requiring county residents to surrender any AR-15-style guns by Dec. 31, 2020.

“Please feel free to advise your contacts that this is a bad and potentially dangerous prank,” Quattrone said. “We will be investigating and if possible will be prosecuting the individual or individuals responsible for the letter.

“For the record, I am pro-Second Amendment and believe our constitutional rights need to be protected in all circumstances.

“This was received in a town clerk’s office who contacted our office. The town clerk will be notifying other clerks of this prank. Should anyone receive such a letter please leave unopened and contact our office and we will pick it up for processing.”