Donations of bullets have poured into a southeast Nebraska Boy Scout group after it raised concerns that an ammunition shortage would force campers to learn to shoot using air guns rather than rifles.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports leaders of the Scout's Cornhusker Council sought donations of .22-caliber bullets after retailers weren't able to fill their order.

Cornhusker Council district director Jerad Reimers says the group went public with its problem, hoping for donations of 24,000 rounds in time for training of scouts at camp.

Instead, people donated more than 65,000 bullets from as far away as Florida. Reimers says an Iowa man gave more than 10,000 rounds.

Reimers says the bullets will help ensure scouts learn how to handle a gun properly, something he calls "an absolute necessity."