"What are some modern, free alternatives to Visual Basic that would allow me to easily create a GUI and attach scripts and events to its controls?"
There isn't anything really. It's pretty amazing that in 2022 there isn't anything for creating Windows GUI desktop apps that matches your description: easily create a GUI and attach scripts and events to its controls?
Another poster (wdurden) mentioned Delphi - a cross-platform tool with a drag-and-drop GUI builder. However, the free "community edition" of Delphi comes which restrictions. Read the restrictions here:
https://www.embarcadero.com/products/delphi/starter/free-dow...
The open source version of Delphi is called Lazurus (built with FreePascal). It also features a GUI builder but the documentation is uneven and scattered. If you get stuck, the forums are the main source of getting help.