Supreme Court to hear challenge to state-level assault rifle bans

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear a challenge to the legality of state restrictions on assault-style rifles, giving the justices another chance to expand gun rights in a case that involves a type of weapon often associated with mass shootings.

The justices took up two appeals after lower courts upheld bans in Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut on powerful semiautomatic rifles such as AR-15s. The lower courts rejected arguments that the measures violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms."

The Supreme Court is expected to hear the case in its next term, which begins in October. The court separately on Tuesday rejected a series of appeals challenging federal and state bans on handgun purchases by people ages 18 to 20.

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