what he calls his "Power Pen" is simply a matter of removing the pen cap and writing tip while holding the unit in your hand pointed downrange. Use the thumb of that same hand to slide the cocking knob to the rear, which, of course, brings back the bolt, suppressing the spring. Firing is a simple matter of releasing the cocking knob so that the spring forces the bolt forward, bashing it against the primer, which fires the round. Vitte added that the recoil from the light .22 Long Rifle round is virtually nonexistent, and the sound level within that closed bolt system is about like that of a starter pistol. Penguns remain popular, prevalent, and in production, both legally and otherwise. They are controversial subjects that are going to remain with us. On the lighter side of the pengun issue, perhaps a careless enforcer or someone with a bizarre twist of humor left behind a deadly calling card in a Quebec courtroom. Checking the court facility after the first day's hearings in an organized crime investigation, security people found that one of the spectators had dropped a somewhat heavy but totally functional felt-tip marking pen on the floor and failed to pick it up. While checking it into Lost & Found, the security man fumbled with the pen's clasp, which triggered a .22 cartridge, driving the bullet into the ceiling. Yes, it was the old pengun-in-the-courtroom trick. Although security was tightened the following day, the point was not lost. It surely was not lost on the security man, who found this well-disguised improvised firearm and nearly got the last surprise of his life.