Best way to remove?

Hey community, I am trying to remove shelf braces from my 50 year-old home. The nails are 3 inches long. Every time I pound into it it seems to pop a hole in the drywall. This is truly a DYI and I may not be using the right tools, but any suggestions can help. So far, I’ve tried to screwdriver and hammer there are so many layers of paint making it difficult. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!