Washington DC - The Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear challenges to state and local bans on AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles.

The court will hear oral arguments next term on whether the bans violate the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which says Americans have the right to keep and bear arms.

The cases to be heard by the conservative-dominated court, which tends to favor expansive gun rights, involve bans on assault rifles in Cook County, Illinois, and the state of Connecticut.

A number of other states and cities have similar restrictions, which have been upheld by lower courts.

AR-15-style rifles have been used in a number of high-profile mass shootings in the US, including one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012 that left 20 children and six adults dead.

The Supreme Court issued rulings in several gun-related cases during the term that ended on Tuesday.

The court struck down a Hawaii law last week that bans the carrying of firearms on private property open to the public such as stores or restaurants, without the owner's permission.

The court also ruled unanimously that a habitual user of marijuana cannot be barred from owning a firearm.

The next Supreme Court term begins in October.