While it's good that NC is doing something about it now, the damage to the three Duke students, their coach, school, etc has been done, not to mention the attitude of respect for the law which maybe waivered a little bit there for awhile.
Factor in firearms in one way or another (and that could really vary from the innocueous to the profane) and the majority of US citizens would probably care less... maybe... again, depending on the situation.
I mean, no one really cried too much about the Branch Davidian survivor's final conviction, nor Horiuchi's non-conviction now did they? (knowing that those two incidents had little to nothing to do with a runaway prosecutor but a different form of government agency flexing muscle... which isn't really the same thing).
But to answer the question "How would a gun owner fare...?" Depends how deep his pockets were and how much favorable publicity his defense team/family of friends could muster. Big difference between something happening to a simple Baba Louie as opposed to a Rich Lucibella or an Oleg Volk. One of those three being a poor simpleton, another a man of means, the third a talented artist whose work has touched thousands of lives.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Hopefully, the people.