well, no i feel stupid

Well LOL it's sposed to kill the engine not the starter LOL

On a side note, be careful of various "engine stop" / ignition switch/ kill switches on older engines with mags---including CDI which can be "self powered" or "mag" powered. Thise kill the old mag way---by shorting a lead to ground generally speaking

So the kill switch must 'make' to kill which is in a sense more fail prone in an emergency

BUT the system can sometimes "kill" the works when unwanted.........because if the wiring harness gets wet enough to "leak" enough electrical energy.......it can cause missing, poor performance, or no spark