Report: Gun-related deaths hit record high in 2021

(CNN) - Authorities say two men are dead after gunfire erupted outside after a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia, Tuesday night.

This incident, along with others, comes on the heels of new research which says the U.S. gun violence epidemic reached new highs in 2021.

A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions said gun violence in the U.S. hit a record high in 2021 with nearly 49,000 gun deaths with increases in both gun-related homicides and suicides.

The report from Johns Hopkins also says guns are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the U.S.

A candlelight vigil was held recently in Saratoga County, New York, for Kaylin Gillis, a 20-year-old fatally shot in April after her friend turned into the wrong driveway.

Gillis is among the more than 18,000 people who have died from gun violence so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

And so is Ajike “AJ” Owens, the 35-year-old mother of four from Florida who was fatally shot last week after an argument with a neighbor escalated.

“She had no weapon. She posed no imminent threat to anyone,” her mother said.

Samuel Schwartz, who lost his cousin in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, is holding a multi-day sit-in at the U.S. Capitol.

“After every shooting, we hear on Twitter that lawmakers and citizens call for action, but there’s no action taken. So that’s why I decided to lead this and all these people are here with me. We are here to make sure that something happens,” Schwartz said. “We are hoping that Leader Schumer listens to us and puts the assault weapons ban on the Senate floor for a vote immediately.”