I dont think you can objectively compare "today" with "past".
Its just diffrent times, diffent moral codes and diffent general stress level.
In last years/decades we, regardless in which country, had to deal with new infuences and threats.
That also means more sources of stress
There is also much more ppl (generally) everywhere, meaning its not like old times when everybody knew theirs neighbors and there was some sort of local "social credit" (like "oh, thats old Bills kid going to hunt squirrels" instead "i never saw this guy and he have gun")
For example - there wasnt much of change in Czech gun laws in past 30 years and in that time there was huge changes in crime count in generall.
But gun crimes?
It keeps declining (but now its on such a low level that even one gun crime means like 30% of all gun crimes in year)
Absolute majority dont need and dont feel need to have gun (there is about 330k gun owners in Czech, including game keepers, per almost 11 milion citizens)
Is it because gun laws?
Not quite, i would say.
Till revolution in 1989 there was a big presence of Warsaws (soviets) pact soldiers and when they had to move out... they "lost" A LOT of theirs firearms (and other equipment). They were litterally changing Akms for packs of cigarets or goods valuable in theirs country.
After revolution there was a lot of illegal, untracable weapons, a lot of "revolutionaries", a lot of "broken dreams" and a lot of crime. We dont talk about that much, but it was quite a wild land. Firm communists hand was gone and ppl wasnt sure how to look at "new" LE organizations
Now i can and have legally few weapons and i carry... pepper spray most of the time. Dont get me wrong, i like to carry my gun and it just feels right on my belt, yet there is not really reasson. I know its absolutly difffrent view than in US and somebody will say that i will regret it when suddenly a psycho with fullauto will jump form bushes, but that chance is here much more slimer and more likely i will be engaged in some citizen dispute where gun will be more a burden
Just wanted to point on fact that gun laws, gun restriction and its effects are much more complex and non-snad-alone topic