'A gun didn't kill my husband, a man killed my husband': Wife of America's deadliest sniper Chris Kyle says his killing doesn't change her view of guns

Outspoken: Taya Kyle, widow of author and former army sniper Chris Kyle, speaks during the leadership forum at the National Rifle Association's annual convention in early May

The widow of legendary Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle is still a passionate supporter of the Second Amendment - despite her husband's murder in a tragic shooting in February.



Tara Kyle, 38, who recently spoke at a Houston NRA convention, owns a Smith & Wesson pistol, but says that 'A gun didn't kill my husband, a man killed my husband.'



Her husband is credited with 160 confirmed kills during a stellar decade-long career with SEAL Team 3, was shot dead at a Glen Rose, Texas, gun range after an alleged incident involving an ex-Marine, Eddie Ray Routh.

'Unfortunately, it’s a hot issue and people like to make it into a bigger picture that’s not an accurate picture,' she explained to the New York Post.



'The majority of ways guns are used every day are very positive.'

Chris Kyle was the author of the bestselling book, 'American Sniper' and was writing a new book, 'American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms' at the time of his death. The book will be released on June 4th.



The sniper was so feared by insurgents in Iraq, that an $80,000 bounty was placed on his head and he was known by his nickname of 'Al-Shaitain Rama' - 'The Devil of Ramadi'.

His wife still wants the right of every American to own a weapon to remain.



'For somebody like me, who can feel vulnerable, it is nice to have an added element of protection because there are people who are motivated to do evil,' she said to the New York Post.



Deadly: In this April 6, 2012, photo, former Navy SEAL and author of the book American Sniper , Chris Kyle poses in Midlothian, Texas

'That’s not going to change. If you’re going to do evil, you are going to do it — and . . . I’d like to be able to protect myself.'



Chris Kyle's alleged killer, Routh, 25, has claimed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and that Kyle was helping him through his condition.



However, Taya does not believe that Routh was a PTSD sufferer.



'People who have PTSD don’t talk about it. They don’t use it as an excuse. They carry guns and they do good work and love their families,' she said.



'They struggle, but it doesn’t change their character.'



Taya is hoping that Routh's trial will shed more light on his alleged motives.



'Chris has a lot of experience with guys with PTSD — hunting, shooting and healing,' said Taya.



'For that reason alone, there was no reason not to take him to the range — there’s a lot more information Chris would have needed to not to make that decision.'

Making the shot: Chris Kyle takes aim from on top of an overturned crib during the Second Battle of Fallujah Four tours: During his time in Iraq, he gained infamy among the insurgents, who nicknamed him 'the Devil of Ramadi' and put a $20,000 price on his head

This comes as Jesse Ventura, the former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler announced he is suing Taya for defamation because the soldier wrote about an alleged fight he had with Ventura.



Eddie Ray Routh is pictured in this booking photo provided by the Erath County Sheriff s Office. Routh is a suspect in the shooting and killing of former Navy SEAL Sniper Chris Kyle

Ventura initially filed the suit against Chris Kyle, the SEAL who had the most confirmed kills in American military history, because Kyle said that he knocked Ventura to the floor during a fight outside of a bar.



Ventura, now 61, has now refiled the suit and against Kyle's wife Taya after Kyle was killed in February when he was shot by a former soldier who allegedly had PTSD.



According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Ventura's lawyers argued that the suit outlasts Mr Kyle,/



'Although Kyle is deceased, his ‘American Sniper’ book continues to sell and it is soon to be made into a movie,' the motion read.



'It would be unjust to permit the estate to continue to profit from Kyle’s wrongful conduct and to leave Governor Ventura without redress for ongoing damage to his reputation.'



During his promotion of the book in January 2012, Mr Kyle spoke about the alleged fight with Ventura, saying that he punched the former governor when he was making anti-war statements outside of a bar frequented by Navy SEALS.



Not only was the bar popular among military service members, but they were also there in droves at the time because they attended after the wake of a fallen SEAL who threw himself on a grenade.



'He was bad-mouthing the war, bad-mouthing (former President) Bush, bad-mouthing America,' Mr Kyle told Fox News' Bill O'Reilly.



'He told us that we were killing innocent people over there, men women children, that we were murders,' Mr Kyle said, adding that he told the governor to tone down his rhetoric.



'And then he said that we deserved to lose a few guys.'

Taya Kyle stands during the playing of Taps during a memorial service for former her husband and Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, February 11, 2013

That's when Mr Kyle slugged Mr Ventura in the face, he says.



'That happened? You knocked him out?' Mr O'Reilly asks.



'Well, I knocked him down,' Mr Kyle responds.



Mr Ventura denies that version of events, and believes that the lawsuit is necessary given the possibility for profit by his widow.



Mrs Kyle's lawyer said that the refiling of the suit 'comes as a disappointment, but no surprise'.



'Continuing this action will serve no useful purpose, and likely will promote public perception of Jesse Ventura as someone who has little or no regard for the feelings and welfare of surviving family members of deceased war heroes,' lawyer John Borger told The Star Tribune.



Kyle, was a cowboy from Odessa, Texas who grew up hunting deer and pheasant with a rifle and a shotgun his dad bought him.



He never realized he was a good shot until he joined the Navy and got into the prestigious SEAL special operations unit.



For his deadly track record as a marksman during his deployment to Ramadi, the insurgents named him 'Al-Shaitan Ramad' -- the Devil of Rahmadi -- and put a $20,000 bounty on his head.

Long shot: Mr Kyle poses here with the rifle, a .338 Lapua Magnum, he used to kill an insurgent from 2,100 yards away outside Sadr City

'I thought to myself, “Oh, hell yeah!” It was an honor,' he told Texas Monthly magazine when Army intelligence told him about his infamy.



But his Navy SEAL companions gave him a different name 'the Legend.'



His most legendary shot came outside Sadr City in 2008 when he spotted an insurgent with a rocket launcher near an Army convoy -- 2,100 yards away.



At that distance, 1.2 miles, he fired a shot from his .338 Lapua Magnum rifle. It struck home, knocking the man over dead.



'God blew that bullet and hit him,' Mr Kyle told the New York Post.



Mr Kyle's preferred weapon, though, was a custom-built bolt action rifle with a powerful scope. It was chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum, a cartridge originally developed for hunting North American big game.



However, Mr Kyle said he has found a new use for it -- making long range, highly accurate shots.

