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“Contrary to your contention that “I cannot sanely make that determination while being attacked,” I am pretty sure you could tell the difference between a beatdown by a person who is strong enough to break you, from one where the person is NOT strong enough to break you. If you can’t tell the difference, they you run the risk of failing the “reasonably” part of “reasonably apprehended risk of serious injury.””

That is a massive mistake. If a person is attacking you and they don’t have the strength to beat you down, you must, as the intended victim assume that the attacker has the ability to step up the attack using other means. That can include mace, stun gun, baton, knife, or gun.

With that being said, I’ve been in that exact situation. I was jumped in an attempted mugging. The mugger had the intention of knocking me out and taking my money. When I didn’t go down on the first blow, he resorted to his secondary means of attack. He stabbed me with a knife with the intent of killing me. I was able to draw my gun at which point he ran behind the building and out of site.

The person that attacked me was killed in a home invasion less than a year later. He killed the son of the home owner in that attack.

I’ve been down this road and I will won’t make the same mistakes again.

-- If a person is attacking you and they don't have the strength to beat you down, you must, as the intended victim assume that the attacker has the ability to step up the attack using other means. --

So, if some chick is rubbing your crotch, you are in reasonable apprehension of serious personal injury? Or the attacker is literally your 5 year old, 30 pound nephew or something, who is pissed off at you?

I agree with you, if it is some able-bodied adult stranger undertaking the attack, it is reasonable to apprehend risk of serious personal injury. My point was just that in the entire spectrum of unwelcome contact, there are contacts where it is UNreasonable to apprehend serious personal injury. You contend there is no such thing. Well, if you kill that chick who is lustfully rubbing your crotch, or your 5 year old nephew, you are probably in trouble with the law.