They have toughness, DT vs bursts.
What vs snipers? AC.
I'm sniper myself, and don't play for BG (only in pre-wipe, and not so much time), and in group vs group fight I most afraid of BGers, because they're really > snipers.
Yes, in TCs, etc. weapon range counts much, while in encounter fights range is almost nothing.
Sniper = luck, I mean real life luck, sometimes they rule, sometimes poor bluesuiter can do more damage to you than a sniper. Especially when I have 6 LK, 222% SG skill, weapon 0%-2% deteoration, 95% to hit, BUT sometimes I miss every ***ing 3 shot! Sometimes in a row, waiting my turn for a hour in big group PvP TB fight to miss, and then again miss and again miss. WTF? It's 66.6% not 95%, and even if I hit him, of couse I'll hit his eyes (31% base crit, so its almost always must be crit in eyes), and of couse I'll deal non-crit 10 damage. Reminds me Fallout1-2, where you can miss point blank burst 95%, and hit 3 times in a row with 10%, and then kill everyone on encounter with critical-torso shots with 1% crit, damned Fallout. Really BGer with one his burst can do more damage, than I will do with 10 turns. But sometimes I can kill 1 person/turn. But 1st case is more usually. Yes, sometimes I can do 100+ damage on max distance to CA/BA/or whaever it was with .223 pistol, but I do it once/year.
Yes, snipers aren't good enough, but I don't suggest to nerf them, just make any price to AC. AC now is nothing. AC can only protect you from some critters sometimes, and low level noobs who trying to deteorate your armor by shooting with thier mausers at you. I have 0 AC without armor (Kamikaze trait), and I don't see any difference and it never made my life worse, opposite, 21 sequence = I always get 1st turn in TB, atleast I've never met someone with >8 PE + Kamikaze trait too.
That's why I don't look at AC, and don't even count it worth something. It's almost like CH stats, useless.