GRAND RAPIDS, MI — U.S. Rep. Justin Amash will appear at two town halls in West and Mid-Michigan this week after discussing gun control and the federal budget at similar events in new parts of his district.

The sophomore Republican lawmaker from Cascade Township is slated for an hour-long town hall at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, at the Commission on Aging, 320 W. Woodlawn Ave., in Hastings.

A Thursday, Jan. 31, town hall is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Portland District Library, 334 Kent St.

Over the weekend, Amash addressed constituents at planned stops in Marshall and Battle Creek, in Calhoun County.

The county was added to Amash's 3rd Michigan Congressional District this year because of decennial redistricting that takes place following the U.S. Census.

The Saturday afternoon town halls drew about 85 constituents between them, who heard Amash discuss gun control, the budget and what Amash said is a likely thaw in his at-times icy relationship with House Speaker John Boehner.

The Battle Creek Enquirer reported Amash told attendees of both town halls that he was "listening cautiously" to talk of limiting gun access for people with mental illnesses.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, introduced a bill this month in Congress that would ban some 150 types of assault weapons, among other measures.

The Enquirer reported Amash was "uncomfortable with the exemptions laid out for some people" in the Feinstein bill, but that some restrictions might be necessary.

Will Adams, a spokesman for Amash, previously told MLive the sophomore lawmaker would await more information on the proposals before taking a position.

In a tweet, Amash told MLive he does not support the Feinstein bill, and that the "exemptions simply illustrate the bill's deep flaws."

Elsewhere at the town halls, Amash explained to constituents his recent vote against suspending the nation's debt limit until mid-May, the Enquirer reported.

He was one of only 33 Republicans to vote against the plan, and did so because he equated it to a "blank check" for government spending.

Amash also reportedly said he and Boehner were on better terms now than they were after the latter kicked Amash off the prominent House Budget Committee in early December.

Amash told constituents at a Grand Rapids town hall earlier this month that he surmised Boehner was unhappy with Amash's propensity for explaining how he votes on Facebook.

Media reports of the ouster said Amash was booted for breaking with party leaders on key votes. Amash would later vote against Boehner's reelection as speaker.

A spokesman for a lawmaker close to the decision to remove Amash and several other lawmakers from key spots said it was because of an "a--hole factor."

The spokesman later apologized for the profanity, explaining the ousted lawmakers "just don't want to work within the system."

At his Grand Rapids town hall this month, Amash rejected the notion he's a divisive lawmaker, instead casting himself as a pragmatic problem-solver.

"There's a systematic problem in Washington, D.C., that we need to look at," Amash said at that town hall. "It's not right for one side to blame the other for all this dysfunction."

Zane McMillin may be reached through email and Twitter.