I am a criminal defense lawyer and my client has given me a gun that apparently was used in the commission of a crime. I would like to have the gun tested for fingerprints and whether it was recently fired. I also would like to have the gun cleaned. Can I do so?
![Samuel C. Stretton.](https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/402/2017/10/stretton-sam-article616x372.jpg)
The answer to the question is no. If you do so, you may not be practicing law much longer. Lawyers should know that when they receive evidence of a crime, they cannot alter or change it. In fact, a lawyer should not take evidence from a crime scene if the lawyer should happen to find it. A lawyer can’t change the evidence or tamper with it in any way, shape or form.
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