This thread was active while I was being too busy with work and medical problems to notice. As I read it, I couldn't help but be amused by the comments back and forth. The irony is that the folks who thought the gesture would have been condescending were, themselves, taking on a pontifical role. Really, all any of us has is an opinion based on our own worldview, and we have to remember, that's not reality, just a model. Whether or not the gesture was appropriate, condescension, or battery, being entirely hypothetical, is a matter of speculation.
What I was thinking was that, from the description, I'm pretty sure I know that woman. She's a certified NRA training counselor, and teaches instructors how to teach basic pistol, personal protection in and outside the home courses. She's a lovely person and would have welcomed the contact Southernboy described, graciously ignoring the fact that she's been an expert marks-woman for twice as long as he's been alive and has been a certified instructor most of that time.
Btw, assault and battery involve the "offensive" touching of another, and that is determined on the basis of the "reasonable man" standard - not every touch, even one that is in fact offensive, is legally offensive. When someone carelessly brushes past on the subway platform in a rush to get somewhere, one is expected to be able to tolerate a bit of the hustle and bustle of ordinary life with humans. And when he lays his hand on your shoulder in what you might think is a condescending gesture, a court's going to interpret it as a bit too personal, but friendly, and not "offensive". This has implications for self defense. A person who takes offense easily should be aware of that propensity in himself and learn to be tolerant. "An armed society is a polite society" not because people are afraid of riling up someone who's carrying, but because people who are carrying have to take special steps to be polite. When you've got death on your hip ready to serve you on a moment's notice, you want to be careful, as Ps. 37 says, to "cease from anger and forsake wrath".