You don't describe the character of the life or death situation, so the category is wide open. In many LoD situations, a shovel would be much more appropriate - digging for avalanche or landslide victims, for instance, digging out a mired vehicle, and so on.

I am a firearms owner, and I have a hand gun with which I am quite familiar, but I have seem more critical situations in which the shovel would have been more useful, short of civil war or unrest.

I will admit that during the Rodney king riots of twenty-five years ago, I dusted off ol' Betsy, checked the loads, and was ready if civil unrest erupted in my neighborhood. Every twenty years or so, I have been really happy I was armed. Much more often I have been glad I was equipped with more mundane appliances in tight situations.

Of course, as an archaeologist, a shovel is a professional instrument.., put to use regularly.