Kenneth Cole's suggested correlation between mental illness and gun control has stirred up backlash from the American Psychiatric Association.
A billboard from the fashion designer in New York City reads: "Over 40M Americans suffer from mental illness. Some can access care...All can access guns."
Cole "is correct. There are 40 million people that suffer from mental illness," Dr. Renee Binder, the association's president, told NBC News.
But, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has found that only 3 percent to 5 percent of violent acts are linked to individuals with serious mental illnesses. Even more alarming, Binder said, people with severe mental illnesses are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime.
