The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider legal challenges to bans on so-called “assault weapons,” addressing whether Americans have a constitutional right to own these firearms. Bloomberg and the National Post both report that the court will review arguments focused on the scope of constitutional protections for gun ownership as applied to the type of weapons commonly referred to as “assault rifles.” The outlets note that these firearms have been used in multiple mass-casualty attacks in the United States. While the reporting does not detail the lower-court decisions or the precise standards at issue, the central question before the Supreme Court is whether the Constitution protects ownership of these weapons and, if so, how such protections apply to state or other restrictions. The case is expected to influence the legal framework governing regulations on “assault weapons,” including how courts interpret constitutional rights in the context of modern firearm classifications.