A Texas House committee Tuesday approved legislation to allow handguns to be carried without a license, with two Democrats voting against and five Republicans voting in favor even though they believed the measure doesn’t go far enough.

The version of House Bill 1911 approved by the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee contained several substantial changes from the version that drew extensive public testimony three weeks ago, including:

• To carry without a permit, gun owners would have to meet the restrictions to obtain a license to carry, which is generally available to those who are 21 or older, have no felony convictions and are eligible to purchase a weapon under federal and state laws. The earlier version allowed guns to be carried by those 18 and older.

• Churches and places of worship would be removed as prohibited places to carry a gun, although signs banning guns would be allowed.

• Openly carried handguns would still be required to be kept in a holster, but HB 1911 would omit the requirement that it be a belt or shoulder holster.

The revised bill by Rep. James White, R-Hillister, would not change any laws related to campus carry, a statute passed in 2015 that allows licensed gun owners to carry concealed weapons into most areas of public universities, said Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford.

"This bill simply creates an unlicensed option to carrying a handgun," said King, chairman of the committee.

The committee did not vote on another bill to allow permitless carry — often called constitutional carry — that was favored by many of the gun rights advocates who testified during an hours-long committee hearing last month: House Bill 375 by Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford.

King said the committee was awaiting a revised version of the bill to meet several unstated concerns — an event that Stickland indicated will not occur.

"I’m not going to water it down. He knows that," Stickland said via Twitter.

Before voting on White’s bill, King said that as a former police officer, he had "grave concerns" about its potential impact on law enforcement. Even so, King voted yes, saying he was motivated by respect for White and the goals of the bill’s supporters.

Joining King on the 6-2 party-line vote were five Republican committee members who said that although they considered HB 1911 too restrictive, it represented an advance in gun rights they wanted to support.

"I’m voting for it, and I’m proud to do so," said Rep. John Wray, R-Waxahachie. "It’s the first bill to be voted on in the Texas House to allow permitless carry of a handgun."

Wray added, however, that he will begin working on amendments "to dial in 1911 to rectify restrictions on permitless carry" on the House floor.

Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, said her office received an outpouring of calls and emails from people opposed to HB 1911.

"I am concerned that this bill will make it harder for our law enforcement officers to do the job that we entrust them with, and that is to keep us safe," Hinojosa said.