Worldbuilding without the post-WW/WWII/Cold War glasses (TL, CR etc.)

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Neither gun control nor passports are really a feature of WW/WWII/Cold War influences; gun control is primarily a function of an increasingly urbanized society (with little personal attachment to firearms, since they don't hunt) and increasingly deadly weapons, passports and the like are a function of increased mobility and an increasingly bureaucratic society (also a function of urbanization/population density).

On passports: to the contrary, increased mobility were the reason behind the passports not being strictly enforced before WWI.

Originally Posted by History of passports

The rapid expansion of rail travel and wealth in Europe from the mid-nineteenth century led to a unique dissolution of the passport system for thirty odd years before WWI. The speed of trains, as well as the numbers of passengers that crossed many borders, made enforcement of passport laws difficult. The general reaction was the relaxation of passport requirements. In the later part of the nineteenth century and up to World War I, passports were not required, on the whole, for travel within Europe, and crossing a border was straightforward. Consequently, comparatively few people had passports. Most countries issued passports but countries that demanded travelers have a passport were considered backwards.
Early passports included a description of the passport holder. Photographs began to be attached to passports in the early decades of the twentieth century, when photography became widespread.
During World War I, European governments introduced border passport requirements for security reasons (to keep out spies) and to control the emigration of citizens with useful skills, retaining potential manpower. These controls remained in place after the war, and became standard procedure, though not without controversy. British tourists of the 1920s complained, especially about attached photographs and physical descriptions, which they considered led to a "nasty dehumanisation".

The discussion of gun laws in the other threat seems to indicate that many firearms became restricted roughly with the start of WWII. Whether it was linked or a coincidence I'm not as sure as you are that it is the latter.