[stephen426]

Shooting from jacket pockets works better with revolvers that have shrouded hammers. It is a very practical method to carry and offers a strong defensive advantage as you can have your hand on your weapon at all times, without giving away the fact you are armed. I believe the concerns of clothing catching fire are highly overrated. Unless you have something flammable on you like gasoline, you won't just go up in flames.

If someone approached and threatened me by implying they had a gun pointed at me, I would take it as a credible threat and respond accordingly. Drawing on a drawn gun is not a good proposition unless you can distract the attacker. Never underestimate your attacker's reaction time or overestimate your abilities. I would try and determine how credible the threat was and look for an opportunity to neutralize the threat.

Firing a semi-auto in a jacket pocket is a pretty bad idea. The first shot should be fine, but impeding the rearward travel of the slide or any clothing that could get caught would more than likely cause a jam.