Edward Bulwer-Lytton had his character, Cardinal Richelieu, declare that the pen is mightier than the sword. But the Beach Boys added, in "Student Demonstration Time," that the writing utensil is no match for a gun. All of them are tools, as are books and songs, and effective use requires knowledge and practice.Thus, submitted for your approval, dear fellow authors, is a guide to firearms. The subject can be daunting, and many in the creative arts-Hollywood executives come to mind-make elementary errors. The information provided herein will save you from that embarrassment, allowing you to engage in gun play and other ballistic mayhem in your stories with wild abandon, while still hitting your rhetorical targets.