Engage brain and THINK!
Stop and think what it takes to set off a primer when loaded in a cartridge and in a rifle/handgun. You have the primer held tightly, and a pointed firing pin either struck by a hammer or propelled by a heavy spring. A LOT OF CONCENTRATED FORCE! It crushes a shock sensitive propellant against an anvil, causing it to detonate.
Now what do you have with a deprime punch gently pushing against a primer? It's free to move and hardly any sudden hard force! I've done hundreds over the years, even some in upside down! :banghead:
I keep a mason jar filled with 3 in 1 oil by the bench, just for this reason. Throw the bad case in the jar, come back a day later, de-prime. Primers are definitely dead at that point."
What bigjim said is spot on correct. Modern primers have sealant covering the propellant wafer and anvil, to prevent most things from degrading it. What you'd need to de-activate it would be a solvent to dissolve the sealant AND remove it, then any oil would de-activate it. You may hear from time to time to be sure not to handle primers with case lube on your fingers. That comes from long ago before sealants were applied to primers, the case lube was usually oil that could kill primers, leading to duds at the range.