Reasonable force is situational. It is not reasonable to place my wife and three primary school daughters at risk by facing potentially hostile intruders in my home on terms that allow the potential that they be left at the mercy of intruders whose aims may include assault, molestation or murder. If an intruder flees in the face of my challenge, then his intent is escape, and I am not justified in striking him. If an intruder chooses to initiate hostilities in the face of drawn steel, then his intent may be assumed to be hostile to my family, and I will stop him as swiftly as possible; there is the potential that swift response by EMS will save his life, but the risk is his. I see no obligation in the law for me to play fair in my own home, I do not know if the intruder is armed, or high, or a skilled martial artist, or known to police as a dangerous and violent offender. If forced to defend my home, I will do so in the most effective manner available, consitant with the ultimate aim of preserving the lives of my family, and the welfare of my neighbors. The criminal has the option of flight at any time, and if he chooses to fight instead, it is his life to lose.