Any snap rings are suppose to be romoved and not beaten apart! You can break the casing in which the snap ring rests in.

 

I don't believe it is a typical snap ring. I remember having the outer knuckle off of my chevy the same way, a quick smack with the hammer and it was out...no way to use a snap ring pliers. Just going by memory and I had a mechanic friend do it for me I couldn't figure it out.