ACR MLG PENETRATED R2501 WHILE ON AUTH WX DEVIATION.

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FILED ROUTE WAS PSP-CATH4-TNP-J10-DEN. BECAUSE OF SEVERE WX RPTED BTWN TNP AND DRK; WE REFILED (AIR) TNP-EED-TBC-J128 DEN. DURING CLB WE REQUESTED; AND WERE CLRED; TO CLB N OF COURSE TO AVOID TSTMS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE WERE TOLD BY ZLA TO SQUAWK 7700 AS WE HAD ENTERED A RESTR AREA (R2501). SINCE WE WERE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME (2-M CREW) AVOIDING TSTMS USING X-BAND RADAR; WE WERE NOT AWARE WE WERE IN A RESTR AREA. I BELIEVE ATC SHOULD HAVE ADVISED US WHEN WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO R2501; AND; IF THERE WAS NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE BUT TO ENTER THE AREA; ATC SHOULD HAVE ADVISED THE R2501 CTLRS OR AGENCY. I WAS NOT AWARE THAT A 7700 SQUAWK COULD BE INITIATED BY ATC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR'S MAIN CONCERN IN FILING THIS RPT WAS THE FACT THAT ATC HAD INSTRUCTED HIM TO SQUAWK 7700 AND IN ESSENCE DECLARE AN EMER. HE WAS UNAWARE THAT ATC HAD THAT AUTHORITY AND WONDERED IF HE HAD BEEN MISHANDLED BY THE CTLR IN THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT. ANALYST SHARED THE INFO FROM THE FAA HANDBOOK ON THE USE OF 7700 AND CTLR'S USE OF THAT CODE AND THE POS TAKEN BY THE MGR; PROCS DIVISION; ATO-300 AS OUTLINED IN THEIR LETTER DATED 8/25/86. RPTR STATED THAT HE HAD ATTENDED A CTLR/PLT SEMINAR AFTER THIS EVENT AND THIS SUBJECT WAS DISCUSSED IN DETAIL AND MUCH INFO WAS EXCHANGED CONCERNING DEVIATION PROCS WHEN SEVERE WX WAS PRESENT.